Bumblebee on blossom
Better late than never. The extended winter and rapid spring seemed to have dragged Cheddar and the Mendips fully in to summer this weekend. A glorious four days over the bank holiday weekend: very warm but not too hot; sunny but the odd cloud to prettify the sky; the gentlest of breezes to keep things fresh. Everyone was enjoying it. Even the insects.
One of the big benefits of running our garden on sustainable principles (permaculture to be precise) is that it we have a garden that attracts lots of wildlife. And importantly that includes insects, and especially bees. There are all sorts of bees, including solitary bees, but the ones we delight in (and are difficult to miss) are the bumblebees. Some are huge. The one in the photo (taken today) was of a huge chap, the size of my thumb-end, and he was busy working the new (and late) blossom on the cherry tree. Hopefully he was enjoying it as much as we were watching him from close up.
Bees of course have been in the news. They are having a tough time: climate, habitat, pesticides, farming methods, and the dearth of wild flowers are all putting them under stress and numbers are falling. Not just the ubiquitous "honey" bees, but the equally important solitary types (like the bumblebees). Important because we need these workers to pollinate our food and we ignore their plight at our own peril.
So do look out for them and if you get a chance try and ensure you are planting (and your council are planting) bees and butterfly friendly plants (which are beautiful to look at too). And if you come to stay in our eco cottage then you are welcome to wander the garden and hopefully see them here.
One of the big benefits of running our garden on sustainable principles (permaculture to be precise) is that it we have a garden that attracts lots of wildlife. And importantly that includes insects, and especially bees. There are all sorts of bees, including solitary bees, but the ones we delight in (and are difficult to miss) are the bumblebees. Some are huge. The one in the photo (taken today) was of a huge chap, the size of my thumb-end, and he was busy working the new (and late) blossom on the cherry tree. Hopefully he was enjoying it as much as we were watching him from close up.
Bees of course have been in the news. They are having a tough time: climate, habitat, pesticides, farming methods, and the dearth of wild flowers are all putting them under stress and numbers are falling. Not just the ubiquitous "honey" bees, but the equally important solitary types (like the bumblebees). Important because we need these workers to pollinate our food and we ignore their plight at our own peril.
So do look out for them and if you get a chance try and ensure you are planting (and your council are planting) bees and butterfly friendly plants (which are beautiful to look at too). And if you come to stay in our eco cottage then you are welcome to wander the garden and hopefully see them here.
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