So much has happened in the world over the last fortnight. Changes are moving so quickly, that I have felt overwhelmed and struggled with my mental health, like a lot of people right now. Consequently I nearly didn’t write this latest post. However I remembered why this blog is so important to me. During my darkest hours nature helps me overcome depression and anxiety; so here it is, better late than never.
Lots of plants were starting to bloom last week.
– Forget-me-not (Myosotis),
– Green alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens),
– White dead-nettle (Lamium album,
– Red dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum),
– Brunnera macrophylla,
– Aubrieta deltoidea
– and Vinca minor were all flowering.
Bindweed (Calystegia sepium) is growing too.
When I found it on the allotment, initially my heart sank slightly; it means lots of work to control it organically. Yet I decided to see if it has a good side, after all it is a wild flower. Look up Bindweed on the internet and you find countless references to it being a horrible weed in gardens together with how to exterminate it (both traditionally and organically). I must admit I find it hard to like the plant but I wanted to challenge my views (gained from years of trying to get rid of it from people’s gardens). The Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) or Hedge Brown butterfly, Bees along with Hoverflies pollinate its large white bell shaped flowers. Moths too visit the flowers because they are also open at night-time. Bindweed is also food for the Convolvulus Hawk Moth (Agrius convolvuli) larvae.
Something else I discovered last week was the Bumblebee mite (Parasitus fucorum).
They hitch a ride on the queen so that they’re taken to a new nest; once there it feeds on wax, pollen, nest debris as well as other small insects. They do not feed on the bees themselves. It is the first time I have noticed mites on a bee. I clearly saw four in total (two either side) just behind the head, on the thorax. It looked like the bee, which remained in the same spot for at least an hour, was attempting to groom itself so presumably the mites were irritating it even though they doesn’t harm the bee itself.
Bee in the Moment 