This is a Bee variety that has been recorded in Dorset but one that I have so far been unable to find there.
However for the last couple of years there has been a small colony on the cliffs above Bridgewater bay, last year they had been flattened by the onshore wind, so this year I was pleased to find them on a clear and still day and was able to take these photos. This "Chlorantha" var. is a regularly occuring type, and on a recent trip to Cyprus I found more Chlorantha than the regular Bee!
Another Bee variety that is extreemly rare in the UK is the var. Fribrugensis, since its original site in Wiltshire was destroyed (D Lang) it was only Known from one site in the Mendips, and although I have searched for it there I never had any luck. However I have now found 3 plants of this var. in North Dorset!
