Do you know where Maude has gone ? You may have seen Maude and her sister Doris in our video on dandelion gardening – Lawnageddon – or in our Bouncing Bee workshops. Sadly Doris has been working alone this year (seen briefly in our film of the Fairy Fair) because Maude went missing while we were on Chris Packham’s Walk for Wildlife on 22 September 2018.
We’ve reconstructed our movements and the last known sighting of Maude was in the bar of the Red Lion pub in Westminster but the pub manager says there has been no sign of her.
Maude is an unusually large and friendly White Tailed Bumble Bee with googly eyes, transparent wings, velour black and yellow fur and pipe-cleaner antennae. Being a social insect we thought maybe she had met new friends at the Red Lion and sampled the amber nectar. Could she now be resting in someone’s garden shed or bedroom?
Sarah Wise of the Fairyland Trust says: “If you know of anyone who may have her, or who has seen her, please email us on missingbee@fairylandtrust.org. We are offering a family ticket for four to The Real Halloween (26/7 October – see an Overview here) as a reward for the safe return of Maude. She plays a vital role in our Workshops and we miss her. Please help if you can”.
Here’s hoping for her safe return
Maude captured on video while waiting for the Walk for Wildlife to leave Hyde Park
