Secrets of an English Garden Week 16
Bees, Butterflies and an ancient plant species.
May 21st — May 27th
I’m always very excited when there are lots of pollinators in the garden. I love the hum of the bees as they flit from flower to flower, busy in the warming air as we head towards summer.
This year I’m taking much more notice of the kinds of bees that visit. It’s a bit of hard work identifying each one as males, females and queens all have differing markings, not to mention the possibility of mimics such as cuckoo bees.
The Chives look wonderful at the moment and are the biggest attraction. The two main visitors at the moment are Red Tailed bees and Buff tailed bees.
The top picture is of a Carder Bee. There are several species of Carder bee and they can appear quite variable.
Another great pollinator is the Hoverfly. There are thousands of species so I’m not attempting to identify this wasp mimic. He’s harmless as he has no sting and will benefit the garden as the larvae eat insects such as Aphids.