Shoehorn pods & bee flies

For the first time I looked closely at the now empty seed pods on the dead superstructure of last year's common centaury, Centaurea erythraea. They have split in two and curved outwards like upside down shoe horns facing each other, small launchpads for the dust-like seeds.

The bee flies, Bombylius major, are back hovering across the grass and settling here and there. The solitary bees on which they are parasitic are back too,working the blossom on the sallow or the box bush.