Bee Spotlight

When I write about the chickens, I feel bad for the veggies. When I write about the garden I feel bad about the bees.

It’s been a while so I thought I’d hone the spotlight back on the bees.

For the first few years at the allotment it was all about the food. We grew a variety of crop plants. There were fruits and veg and roots and leaves. Berries and tubers.

I wasn’t interested in flowers at all.

They just took up space. But then the bee thing started.

Bees are in trouble.

They are threatened by the environmental changes. They struggle against monoculture and urbanisation. Increasing pesticide use is a as dive challenge to their well being.

Now we have bees I’ve started really paying attention and we’ve added flowers to the allotment. They’re in lots if little places along the sides and round the ages.

There’s so many kinds of bees. They are different sizes, shapes and colours. It’s also clear that they appreciate having flowers that are also different shapes and sizes.

The artichoke head had about seven separate bees; different types of bees, all smothered in pollen. They wriggle around in between these tufts as if in a maze.

This echinacea is another draw for them. Access to the head of this flower is different again. The honey bees like it.

The allium is appealing as it’s head is easy to reach.

While the lavender is a real attraction.

It’s also clear that bees like certain colours of flowers.

This blog has more info about the patterns on flowers and their colours if toys like to know more.

life on the balcony