Cyn's Nature Notes: Hornets, Bees and Spring Flowers

Friday 1 April 2011

Hornets, Bees and Spring Flowers

Saw my hornet today, flying around and banging into the patio.

Our magnolias are in full bloom and look gloriousThe plum tree is also in bloom, and bees are busily buzzing around the garden, enjoying the bright sunshine and spring flowers.On the aubretia I watched a hoverfly, sucking nectar from the centre of each mauve flower.

Bees have been having a hard time of it lately. past wet summers and pesticides have depleted their numbers. Without bees we will be in trouble as about 80% of flowering crops are pollinated by bees.

We can all help bees to thrive by planting some bee friendly plants, there are many that are pretty and also useful to bees. Why not grow some everlasting sweet peas, very pretty, easy to maintain and return every year. Lavender, bees love it and it is also excellent to pick and dry for use in small bags, to put amongst bed linen or clothes to keep moths away, (a tablet of soap also works well). Rosemary also beloved by bees, and delicious with roast lamb, roast chicken or finely chopped and sprinkled on roast potatoes. Vibernum very attractive to bees and the perfume of some varieties will fill the whole garden. Buddleia, a colourful, joyful plant when it is covered in butterflies and bees. Comfrey is not exceptionally attractive to look at, but bees love it and it is an excellent plant to use for as a liquid fertilizer or to cut back and add to the compost heap to enrich it

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About this Blog

When we moved to our present home in December 1987, I was very ill and bedridden. My garden was a life-saver, although it was very different then. The first thing I did was to put up bird-feeders, and long hours were spent lying indoors in a recliner. This was when I discovered many things. Do you know the underside of every blue tit’s tail is differently marked? Gradually, over the years, the garden changed. We put in shrubs and plants that would not only enhance the garden, but would also be good for wildlife. The first rabbit we saw was so joyful for us. The deer eat the flowers, prune the apple trees, eat the marrow, and are wonderful to watch. Foxes have been a major part of our wildlife. We have fed them each night for more than 20 years. They are such a delight, especially in late summer and early autumn when there are youngsters. They behave like puppies and are great fun to watch.

I love all wildlife: the mason bees that nest in the brickwork of the bungalow, the hornets that last year made their home in the roof above our bedroom, the bees currently nesting in the roof above the bathroom. On a hot evening, if you stand quietly in the bathroom, you can hear this amazing sound: it is very rhythmic and reminds me of the waves at the seaside. It is made by the beating of the bees’ wings as they fan their nest to keep the temperature at the right level -- how many people have heard that sound? I feel so privileged.

Obviously, I feed the birds. When I open the window in the morning I call “Come on Bobby and Blackie”, and one followed swiftly by the other they fly immediately to the bird table. Each morning, on rising, I make my way to the kitchen and find the squirrels already sitting on the window ledge waiting to be fed. Winter brings the moorhens and spring time the mallards. Our pond is a poor effort from a human point of view, but wild creatures see it differently. On summer days, the grass snakes spend long hours in the pond: eating the fish, froglets, toadlings, newts, and any other living creature they can swallow. Although I hate to see the pond emptied this way, I do enjoy the snakes and feel they are an important part of the balance of nature in the garden. Watching a dragonfly nymph climbing out of the pond, up a plant stalk, and then over the next few hours gradually transforming into a beautiful dragonfly -- these are contented hours well spent.

It has been my pleasure to write and publish a nature column each month. I am always delighted to hear how much pleasure this brings to my readers. I have often been asked if I have written a book, so I am making more of my writings and photography available through this web site and blog.