Lots of these early species hibernate, which means you might see them on a warm sunny day during the winter months and early in the new year.

The peacock butterfly (Aglais io)

A beautiful and striking butterfly, with bright eyespots to deter predators! You can look out for them in January or more often February, if the weather is mild and warm enough to wake them from their hibernation in sheds or tree crevices. The adults can live for 10 months, so those that began hibernation around September last year will emerge to breed this spring, and may live long enough to fly at the same time as their offspring in July this year! They have beautifully camouflaged hindwings, so that when closed they blend into dead leaves and wood. Look out for them feeding on willow blossom, blackthorn, Prunus species, dandelions and more.

Small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)

Smaller than the peacock and a lovely bright orange! Small tortoiseshells often use man-made structures to hibernate within, such as outhouses, sheds and cold areas in buildings, starting from August. They are one of the first species to emerge in the new year, with sightings from January onwards as they awaken from hibernation. You might spot them feeding on dandelions or sallow catkins early in the spring, or any early flowering garden plants such as wall flower (Bowles mauve).

Drone fly (Eristalis Tenax)

You might spot this very common hoverfly during any month of the year. The adults hibernate over winter, tucked away in sheltered places - so this is another species to keep an eye out for from January onwards on warm days. They often feed on ivy flowers as it’s an early source of nectar in these cooler months. As a form of defence against predators they look very similar to honeybees, which they mimic in both appearance and in the way that they fly. Drone flies are quite large bodied hoverflies, with yellow and black-brown markings. In early spring you might see them feeding on lesser celandine, dandelions, crocuses, sweet Williams and blackthorn.

Marmalade hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

Another species to see any month of the year as it can hibernate throughout the winter and emerge while temperatures are warmer. This is one of our commonest species of hoverfly and one you will probably find in your garden. Part of one of Britain’s major groups of pollinators, the flies (Diptera), Marmalade hoverflies can actually chew and consume pollen for food - unlike many other fly species. They visit a wide range of flowers and so can be found in a variety of habitats from gardens to wetlands. The adult females will search for plants with a good aphid population for the nocturnal larvae to feed on, so they are a friend to gardeners. In Britain, during some summers there might be a large swell in the British population numbers as many marmalade hoverflies migrate from the continent and arrive here.

Buff-tailed bumblebee queen (Bombus terrestris)

The female queens from last summer emerge from their winter hibernation, often in loose areas of soil underground, or in garden plant pots. In the south, some now remain active throughout winter, feeding at winter-flowering garden plants. The queens are large and very noticeable in spring, making a loud buzz as they fly past in search of suitable place to begin their nest for the year. Queen buff-tailed bumblebees are similar to white-tail bumblebee queens, but have darker yellow-orange stripes and buff-coloured hairs in the tail, compared to only white hairs in the white-tailed bumblebee. They’re common across Britain and can be seen in a wide variety of habitats and often in urban areas too. Some spring plants they love to visit include crocuses, dandelions, daffodils, willow catkins, blackthorn, flowering currant, winter-flowering heather varieties, and hellebores.

Tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)

Tree bumblebees are an easily recognizable and beautiful species, with a ginger-brown thorax, dark black body and lovely white tail! All castes (males, females and queens) have the same patterning but differ in size, with queens being larger. The queens emerge from winter hibernation in March or sometimes even late February. Tree bumblebees like to nest at height usually – unlike other bumblebee species here in the UK which most often nest underground. They naturally inhabit woodlands, but will often use gardens too. You should be able to see queens now, searching for nest sites in trees, crevices, roofs and often bird boxes!

Tree bumblebees naturally colonized Britain only recently, with the first records in 2001. Since, they have spread northwards at a fast pace (reaching Scotland in 2013) and can now commonly be seen in Cumbria.

They like to feed on a variety of species – so you might see them foraging on raspberry’s, apple blossom, comfrey, winter flowering heathers in gardens, willows, ornamental plants like snowberry, and on other fruit species like bramble and gooseberry.

Red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)

Queen red-tailed bumblebees are a distinctive and striking species. A large bumblebee, entirely black except for their bright red tail. The queens born last summer hibernate underground in north-facing banks, with the same sites often being used again each year in winter by new individuals. Queen red-tailed bumblebees emerge in March, and nectar at a wide variety of flowers including fruit trees, willow catkins, white clover, red clover, comfrey, gorse, flowering currant, dandelion, red dead-nettle and white dead-nettle. The newly emerged queen will search for a nest site, often using old rodent burrows. 

Clarke’s mining bee (Andrena clarkella)

A really beautiful solitary bee, the females have bright orange hair on the thorax and rear legs where they collect pollen, with short black fur on the body. The males are smaller, and quite different in appearance, with the orange thorax paler and more buff coloured at the edges - they are hard to identify as they are very similar to other males of different solitary bee species. Females fly low over the ground while searching for a nest site, which they dig into soil on sunny banks (look out for small heaps of soil, indicating a nest hole). Clarke’s mining bees specialise in feeding on willows - an early flowering species, but may also visit other flowers such as colt’s-foot for nectar. They are one of our earliest solitary bee species in Britain, so you can look out for them from March onwards, or even mid-February in some years.  

Tawny mining bee (Andrena fulva)

Another lovely solitary bee you might spot now is the tawny mining bee. The females are easily recognized, with males again being a bit smaller and harder to identify. Female tawny mining bees have a short, dense coat of red-orange hair on the body and black legs. They emerge in late March to look for nest sites, usually on south facing banks and sunny areas with short vegetation, such as lawns. Female tawny mining bees collect pollen for their nests and nectar at a wide range of plants including many deciduous trees such as hawthorn, beech, sycamore, willow and blackthorn, as well as flowers like dandelions, buttercups, fruit tree blossom and daisies.

Hebrew character moth (Orthosia gothica)

Some of our pollinators fly during the night. The Hebrew character moth has intricately patterned wings, with distinctive black markings and emerges in March after waiting out the winter as an adult inside a cocoon beneath the ground. They often visit willows and can are drawn to lights, so you might find them resting on walls with bright lights above.

Hairy footed flower bee (Anthophora plumipes)

In one of our earliest emerging solitary bees, males often emerge a couple of weeks earlier than females. They are a long-tongued species of bee, and usually feed from deep and tubular flowers such as red-dead nettle, lungwort, cowslips, and also honesty and fruit trees such as plum, cherry or blackthorn. They are very agile fliers and it’s lovely to watch as they hover in front of a flower to feed with their tongue extended, darting to the next flower when done! The females are large and quite compact when flying. They have a beautiful thick black furry body, with orange pollen brushes on their rear legs. Males are very different in appearance, with a buff coloured body, slightly green eyes and long pale hairs on their black and cream coloured legs. Males hold a territory, so you might see them perched in a warm sunny spot, chasing away other males and patrolling the area.

Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni)

Perfectly mimicking a leaf with their beautifully shaped, veined wings – brimstones are one of our earliest butterflies to fly in spring, or even warm sunny days in winter. They spend lots of time feeding in the autumn to build up enough reserves to survive hibernating through the winter as an adult, where they rest, blending into the foliage of plants like ivy, bramble and holly. Brimstones are one of the longest-lived butterflies in Britain, with a lifespan of 10-12 months! The larvae feed on buckthorn and alder buckthorn, but the adult butterflies can travel large distances, so you can find them in a variety of habitats – look out for them flying along hedgerows or woodland rides. Important spring nectar sources for these early butterflies are bluebells, primroses, cowslips, bugle and dandelions.

Early pollinators and gardening

Planting - even if just a plant pot on your windowsill - can help our pollinators! Growing native species can help provide foodplants for larvae, however, lots of non-native shrubs and flowers are visited by early emerging pollinators when there are fewer native species in flower. Loss of habitat means that there is less natural forage available for our pollinators, so having a variety of plants (native and non-native) in your garden can be really helpful in extending the flowering season and nectar availability for early emerging species, while also ensuring urban spaces can still provide a home for our lovely wildlife.

Some native species that flower early:

• Primrose
• Red dead-nettle
• White dead-nettle
• Dandelion
• Sallow species (grey willow, goat willow, white willow)
• Gorse
• Colt’s foot
• Ivy
• Marsh marigold
• Ground ivy
• Bugle
• Blackthorn
• Daisy
• Cuckoo flower (Lady’s smock)
• Bluebell
• Holly
• Cowslip
• Comfrey

Early flowering garden plants to help out our pollinators:

• Mahonia
• Flowering currant
• Wall flower ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ (deadhead often to increase flowering season)
• Hebe
• Winter aconite
• Hops
• Sweet Williams
• Apple varieties
• Hellebores
• Sallow species (Musk willow)
• English bluebell
• Honesty
• Grape hyacinth
• Heather (Winter flowering varieties)
• Aubretia
• Prunus species/varieties
• Winter flowering clematis varieties (Clematis cirrhosa)
• Ceanothus (California lilac)
• Crocus
• Snowdrop

Blog by Amelia Bennett-Margrave, Planting for Pollinators Conservation Officer

Download our gardening for pollinators leaflet