Wildlife in the village hedges

Our small village is lucky enough to have an excellent General Store / Post Office: this means my daily run to post meteorite orders can be done on foot. Not only is the half-mile walk and back good exercise, it often turns up interesting wildlife - I've seen Osprey, Hobby, Peregrine and four other raptor species over the years.

Many gardens have high hedges of leylandii, privet, laurel: some of these are interwoven with ivy. Yesterday I was pleased to discover that one of my favourite species - Ivy Bee - has begun to appear on the ivy flowers that are their preferred pollen and nectar source. These charming and placid little creatures have the same 'cuteness' as Honey Bees, but with darker stripes a bit like a wasp's. Talking of which: there is a nest of these aggressive insects in a leylandii hedge in our close that necessitates a wide detour!