Visiting the Palm Tree - _TNY_4453
This bundle of fuzz is a greater bee fly (Bombylius major), a fly species wchich parasitizes on bees.
This was taken on April 21th, a time when spring really hasn't gotten going just yet so there isn't much to choose from for pollinating insects, but the sallow willow (Salix caprea) is an early starter and they were buzzing with hungry inscts.
A long time ago, the sallow was sometimes known as "palm tree" in Swedish. This was not because of any botanical connection, but because of the Catholic tradition of Palm Sunday, held to honour Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. For this, it was customary to bless and distribute palm leaves - but since Palm Sunday falls on the Sunday before Easter, willow was pretty much the only thing blossoming so they simply substituted the palm for willow.
Visiting the Palm Tree - _TNY_4453
This bundle of fuzz is a greater bee fly (Bombylius major), a fly species wchich parasitizes on bees.
This was taken on April 21th, a time when spring really hasn't gotten going just yet so there isn't much to choose from for pollinating insects, but the sallow willow (Salix caprea) is an early starter and they were buzzing with hungry inscts.
A long time ago, the sallow was sometimes known as "palm tree" in Swedish. This was not because of any botanical connection, but because of the Catholic tradition of Palm Sunday, held to honour Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. For this, it was customary to bless and distribute palm leaves - but since Palm Sunday falls on the Sunday before Easter, willow was pretty much the only thing blossoming so they simply substituted the palm for willow.