Bees, bees, very busy bees. All over the phacelia, the borage, the poppies, the bird’s foot trefoil and the catmint. The bumblebee workers are collecting pollen of many different colours. Back in 2010 I did a short blog post about pollen its wonderful shapes and colours see
Pollen : Beautiful Colours Fascinating Form
Here are a few bees carrying different coloured pollens
The phacelia pollen is blue, and poppy pollen is black.
I took the poppy photo early this morning. Each day as the new poppies unfold there is an unseemly scrum amongst the bees to be the first to get to the pollen. It is very amusing to watch. They scrabble about, running round and round the stamens to transfer the pollen onto their hairy bodies. Then they may pause to brush the pollen into the pollen baskets on their hind legs.
Equally fascinating is watching the efforts that small bees make, to get in… and out of ..snapdragons. The flowers have a very firm snap. Sometimes they are almost entirely engulfed.
And my much loved woolcarder bees (anthidium manicatum) have returned exactly on cue when their favourite Stachys plant is ready for them
Here is Handsome on his favourite plant.
So where is all this excitement happening?
This was the garden at 7.00 am this morning.
We have been here 18 months and with a bit of hard work have turned something barren into something bee and wildlife friendly. It’s very easy if you just plant some bee friendly flowers, which are not expensive, and you don’t mind a bit of a muddle!
It looked like this when we moved here. A few more before and afters.
Front: Before and after
Back: Before and After
Back: Before and After: The window behind the tree is where I work
Shed: which is hard to see, before and after
and the bit in the middle…..
I have put these together to encourage myself on those days when the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, to encourage others with a small garden ( the camera makes this look much bigger than it is!) to plant a few wildlife friendly things.
It’s cheap easy and endlessly rewarding.
Once done, sit back and enjoy the delights that wild things bring to our lives.