bee be king
The asparagus is now tall and bushy and covered in tiny, yellow bell-shaped flowers. This is the time that asparagus builds its strength so that we can enjoy the delicious spears in May and June next year.
As well as benefitting the plant and indirectly us, this period in the asparagus year is also very important for our native insects. I hadn't realised how popular the flowers were for bees until today.
There was a constant to-ing and fro-ing that was very difficult for a poor photographer to capture!
Here, a common carder bee (bombus pascuorum) is seen. Its pollen sacs are swollen and orange.
Between them, the borage and the asparagus were alive with bees today.
and they need every bit of help we can give them.
5 comments:
I am worried about stories of bees and butterflies disappearing. There is a buddleia bush near where I live, covered in fragrant violet flowers and not a butterfly to be seen! take care of your asparagus then.. and watch out for the tiny little black and red asparagus beetles - they will eat the plant in days!
We should be worried. I think that the fall in butterfly and bee numbers is swift and everyone can see fewer around. Last summer, of course, made matters worse being so wet for so long. Here's hoping that those that are around breed successfully this year.
Not been a bad year for the dreaded asparagus beetle. Was this because it has been very windy I wonder?
I hope you have lots of lovely asparagus next spring (a vegetable I haven't tried so far).
Love your photo of the carder bee. I do hope that your bee (and butterfly) species rebound from the wet summers that you've had.
We've had lots of butterflies and bees this summer, but as it becomes even drier, they're less in evidence.
Cheers,
Lisa
Lisa
What?????? You haven't tried asparagus yet? You haven't lived! If we lived closer I send some over. Delicious as a vegetable and a wonderful architectural plant in the garden.
Cheers
Rob
Awesome picture of the bee(-:
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