It won't be long now until the bumblebees emerge and start prospecting for homes. I have now set up a new motel made of bricks and slates concealing chambers lined with feathers from an old pillow. The design is based on one promoted by bumblebee guru Dave Goulson Here.
And as for the solitary bees I have added a new wing of wood with holes drilled into them.
I do hope these prove attractive to the intended residents.
Yesterday we went for a walk on a familiar route. A farm lane/bridle path that leads into the Pentland Hills just outside Edinburgh. We regularly walk this path and there is always some eyecatching novelty to stop you in your tracks. Due to the virus restrictions we haven't been this way for about ages. The flora and fauna haven't missed us and are thriving.
First to greet us this chicory flower:
Next a novelty I had to look up. Yes it looks a bit like white ragwort or even blackberry flowers but this is Sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica)
Here's a picture with the leaf to help identification
The big attraction is the knapweed which is proving a magnet for many species
Another insect magnet is this:
My best guess is Hawkweed, but "dandelion like flowers" covers an extensive range of plants. A check of the leaves suggests Leafy hawkweed (Hieracium umbellatum)
As we get higher a heathland favourite appears
A bank of harebells
Now here is the most camera shy wildflower . My camera's autofocus is fooled every time I try to get a close up. It is Devil's-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis)
The much maligned ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) is hosting an insect party
Another commonplace plant: Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Looks like Cow Parsley - I reckon this is a Hogweed seedhead
Next a real surprise up on the moor: Wild Basil?
Clinopodium vulgare
Not to confused with White Horehound (Marubium vulgae) found a quarter of a mile further on
Last to feature although the plant is long gone these Sweet Cicely seeds are hanging on in their characteristic configuration.
I am so happy to see the queen bees emerging. First one spotted 15/2/20. For some reason they fly along the length of our garden and then bounce off our living room window before veering off randomly. That's how I know they are about again - the tapping on the window. Since Sunday they have appeared during warm spells as they search for a suitable nest site to start their new colony. This one, which I think is a Buff Tailed Bee, was snapped at the allotment today. They are hard to photograph. This picture is enlarged and actually rotated through 180 degrees (They are quite happy to feed upside down as the flower structure dictates) The flowers are those of a Bergenia - elephant ears. The plant has made a bid to escape a neighbouring plot and is taking over the common path.Thank goodness it is tolerated. Precious few plants are flowering just now. It is a bee goldmine.
After lolling about in the doldrums at 6C or below for a week the temperature today has followed the following pattern
7am 7C
8am 8C
9am 9C
10am 10C
11am 11C
12noon 12C
1pm 13C
Unbelievable! And on the subject of bees. the bumble bees have woken up and are prospecting for nest sites. So far they have evaded my camera lens. Above is the best shot to date.
Here's the most uplifting song I can think of to reflect the mood:
I went to the plot to dig carrots today and to my surprise the sun was shining. There is a floral border at the entrance to the site and I was again surprised to spot some flying insect activity.
This bee was hard at work. And it wasn't alone for long.
New Arrival
Room for Two?
I am guessing they are bees not hoverflies. They must be pollinators as they were busy collecting pollen, as you can see in the pictures, and stashing it in the baskets on their legs. As for which type - my first guess was going to be the "Early Bumblebee" but they seem to be a lot fatter and fuzzier. On reflection I guess someone has a honey beehive nearby. Whatever variety they are they are they are most cheering to see.
Only one song springs to mind (even though they are not roses - the sentiment is there)
Introducing the latest addition to the back garden:
Kilmarnock Willow
Why you ask? With one aim: to provide a source of nectar for emerging queen bumblebees! There's not much about in March. That's why. And what's more it seems to be working!
Bee Visitor
We bought the plant a couple of weeks ago when it was in bud and potted it up into a larger pot. Since then the buds have transformed into catkins and the few queen bees there are about are going wild for them.
How did I know to do this? I read Dave Goulson's book "A Sting in The Tale" and he mentioned the role pussy willow plays in providing vital energy for newly emerging queens. (I am currently just finishing his sequel "A Buzz in The Meadow" and would recommend both books to anybody with even the slightest ecological interest). I'm not pretending that the bees have taken up residence in the bee nest hotels I recently posted about, but they are appreciating this new service station facility!
Last year I started noticing bumble bees in our garden. Then I picked up an identification pamphlet issued by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Next thing you know I was researching how to build a bumble bee hostel. By this stage it was too late on in the year to be of any benefit, so I shelved my plans for the winter. Now has my enthusiasm waned? Not at all. Currently I am reading "A Sting In The Tale" by Dave Goulson a hilarious and informative read I would recommend to anyone. Recently I bought a willow tree with the primary purpose of encouraging bumble bees and today, taking advantage of the warmer weather, I deployed two hostels under the hedge alongside the pond.
Key Elements: Roof, Platform and Access Pipe
Nest building materials inside the pot
And here's a picture of the target of this exercise (taken last autumn)
22/08/16
From what I read it is touch and go whether either of these hostels will be adopted. Let's wait and see!
