Tag: Buff tailed bumblebee queens

Posted in Allotment, nature

Emergence from Wintering

Posted on by BITM

It’s lovely to write for my blog after so long. I have enjoyed a quiet period for a month or so; slowly taking time for self care, reflection and planning the allotment during a time when I suffer with Seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

I love this time of year. I love reading while snuggling under a blanket. I love the sights, sounds and general feeling of winter (especially in the new year after the distracting lights of Christmas) however my brain doesn’t. Each year from the beginning of October to the end of February I indergo a form of wintering. While wildlife winters through hibernation, migration or seeing the winter out with reduced activity. As hibernation is not possible, for me it is the latter; embracing the darker, quiter months as I spend most of my time at home. I have come to realise this wintering is essential in order for me to maintain a healthy mind.

I am still affected by the reduced amount of light but now I am able to see the other side of the winter solstice. For information on and how to find help for SAD, please follow the following links;

– Mental Health Foundation

– Mind

At this time nature becomes more important then ever to me. I look for small moments of comfort each day. Some of the wonderful nature I have witnessed during December and so far in January have been;

– The growth and blooming of early flowering plants. A reminder that gardens never completely sleep. Occasionally I’ve noticed a foraging Buff-tailed bumblebee queen visit them too.

The emergence of Snowdrops (Galanthus).
Other bulbs beginning to show themselves like these daffodils (Narcissus).
Helleborus beginning to bloom.

– The intoxicating scent of the Sarcococca which is located by the entrance to my flat.
– Birds being more visible and starting to get more vocal. I especially enjoy hearing and seeing Carrion crows (Corvus corone), one of my favourite birds, at this time.
– Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) being visible as they search for food during the day and hearing a female fox at night (January and February are their mating season).
– The beauty of frosts, together with the knowledge it will be a cold but very sunny day.
– Glorious sunrises and sunsets.

The sun captured moments before it disappeared below the horizon.

– Night sky delights.

The Wolf moon, the first full moon of 2022.

– Trees silhouetted against the sky. This also allows you to notice nests too.

The large object in the tree is a Drey.

Squirrels and their homes are also easier to spot now (as shown in the last photo). A squirrel’s Drey, for both Greys (Sciurus carolinensis) and Reds (Sciurus vulgaris) are approximately the size of footballs. They are located near trunks where branches fork outwards and located about six meters above ground. They can be differentiated from bird nests which are often smaller, tidier and found further along branches and higher up the tree. Dreys are made with soft materials like moss, feathers, grass, leaves (not usually seen in bird nests) bark or pine needles. However, if squirrels find natural holes in trees, such as those made by woodpeckers, then they will make use of these too. Squirrels will have separate summer and winter dreys, the latter are more weather resistant while the summer ones are more airy.

Posted in nature

Glimpses of Warmer Weather

Posted on by BITM

Last week the sun shone and temperatures increased; in fact some days were unusually warm for the time of year. However, as gardeners will testify, you shouldn’t get too carried away, colder temperatures and frosts (that nip unprotected tender seedlings) can quickly return. It was lovely to see nature basking in the sunshine though (eager to enjoy the moments of glorious weather just like the rest of us) as winter flowering plants are joined by spring blooms and insects, amphibians and birds become more active.

Last week I noticed the dawn chorus begin in earnest. On Wednesday morning I managed to identify ten birds (by sound) when bird calls were heard alongside singing; those birds were Jackdaws (Corvus monedula), Crow (Corvus corone), Robin (Erithacus rubecula), Pigeon (Columba palumbus), Blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus), Coal tit (Periparus ater), Great spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), Ring-necked parakeet (Psittacula krameri), Magpies (Pica pica) and Sparrows (Passer domesticus).

I even heard Skylarks (Alauda arvensis) singing throughout the day on several occasions. As these birds are red on the UK conservation status (and therefore protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981) it is always wonderful to hear these birds located in different places as I worked nearby.

Robins could be seen in pairs, relinquishing their incredibly territorial need to be the only robin within a garden and allowing a mate to feed alongside them. I also saw frogs and newts becoming active in ponds; it won’t be long before we see frogspawn.

At the beginning of the week, there was a gentle buzz of Honey bees (Apis mellifera) around several shrubs; the intoxicating aroma enticing them to feed on the nectar and collect pollen.

A Honeybee enjoying a Mahonia japonica.
A Sarcococca confusa visted by a Honeybee.

Lots of Buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) queens emerged too, taking advantage of all the crocuses and heathers currently in bloom.

The diminutive flowers of Heathers are perfect for the short tongues of Buff-tailed bumblebees.
A Buff-tailed bumblebee asleep in a crocus, presumably exhausted from a days foraging.

Another shrub that started to put on a show were Camellias. Although these are beautiful, they don’t appear to entice wildlife to them.

Frosts can quickly turn flowers brown, however no damage occurs to the plant as a whole.

Wildflower seedlings started too pop up in gardens, although not every seed requires soil. On a weekend walk I saw vivipary in action. Vivipary is the germination of seeds while they are still inside the seedhead rather than when they fall to the ground.

Vivipary occuring within a Teasel (Dipsacus).


The next tree that has begun to bloom is the blackthorn. Buds and flowers appear before leaves unfurl. This is the opposite to Hawthorn which also blossoms slightly later in the year.

Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) have hermaphrodite flowers that bloom in March and April. The white blossom is a joyful sight in early spring.

Blackthorn are good trees for for wildlife, the flowers providing nectar and pollen for bees at this time of year. The leaves too are a food source for caterpillars of several moths, including the Magpie (Abraxas grossularia), Swallow-tailed (Ourapteryx sambucaria) and Yellow-tailed (Euproctis similis); plus caterpillars of the Black hairstreak (Satyrium pruni) and Brown hairstreak (Thecla betulae) butterflies also feed on the Blackthorn foliage. These trees also feed birds as they feast on the sloes and any hiding insects throughout autumn and winter. Their dense canopy even make great places to nest amongst.

Blackthorn wood, once associated with wands of witches, is used for walking sticks and tool handles because it is hard wearing.

Traditional remedies using blackthorn bark, blossom and sloes were made to aid digestion and rhumatism as well as cleanse the blood. These days sloes are used to flavour gin as well as make wines and preserves.

The trees are under treat from blossom wilt due fungal diseases, as with other fruit trees. They can also get ‘pocket plum’ if infected by the Taphrina pruni fungus which produces galls and causes the sloes to remain small and shriveled.

While many things were eager to get going last week, not everything wanted to wake up. It was sweet to notice a few Seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) still hiding away.

One ladybird tucked up within some poppy foliage.
Another trying to hide inside the stem of a climber.

I can appreciate their wanting to cosy up for a while longer, it’s often how I feel when my alarm goes off.