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Wild flowers
Wildlife Gardener 123
Posts: 51
Today I was very pleased to see a bee going repeatedly onto my wild flowers which I grew especially for the bees this year. At first I was extremely disapointed to see that the flowers opened and nothing had arrived but today there was finally a visiting bee. It is very good to think that after raising the plants from seed they are being appreciated by nature.
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That's very satisfying WG. I'm sure more will turn up soon. Along with the butterflies.
Today for the first time in years I saw small tortoiseshell investigating the nettles.
They're along our boundary and so much at risk from the farmer and his killing sprays
In the sticks near Peterborough
I know what you mean. I only plant bee flowers, mainly to feed our own honeybees. Do I see them - nope! However, I did not expect the wonderful range of other insects though - bumbles, solitary bees, hoverflies and so on. Our girls are plain ungrateful!
Oh yes. They do as they please, we can't influence them.
I'm happy with what turns up
In the sticks near Peterborough
I have some wildflowers growing in pots and the bees rarely visit them. They seem to prefer my Lavender and single Dahlias.
P.S. Friends of the Earth are doing a 'bee count' if you fancy taking part - http://www.greatbritishbeecount.co.uk/seen-a-bee.php
I saw a bee on my sweet peas the other day which surprised me- I didn't think they were bee friendly...
I find the bees prefer the cultivated flowers to the wild too- unless I have the wrong kind of wild flowers...oh apart from clover, they love that.
Also saw what I think was a meadow brown in the garden for the first time - it settled on the buddleia for 2 seconds but maybe the flowers weren't open properly because it kept returning to the bellflowers. Don't have any grass for it though...
It's the larvae that need specific food plants.
Nectar gatherers like anything with a good supply of nectar
In the sticks near Peterborough
I have noticed a there are a lot less bees in my garden this year. My pyracantha was covered in flowers and last year was covered in bees and this year nothing! All my plants are bee and butterfly friendly, but there is a distinct lack of buzzing going on. Has anyone else noticed this. I am in the south and wondering if the stormy winter rain has anything to do with it. Or am I worrying to much?
You're not worrying too much MM
We should all worry a bit more and make a big effort to encourage the insects and reduce the insecticides
In the sticks near Peterborough
Yes, sorry, I wasn't clear- I was thinking egg laying. There must be somewhere nearabouts though as it has obviously come from somewhere.
Also found a nice brimstone moth in my compost bag recently.