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16/05/2017

Now the rain has stopped

After two days of fairly solid but oh so welcome rain, 
this evening was beautiful  
The sky was filled with swallow screaming parties - a wonderful sound. 
We escaped the confines of the house and went into the garden.
The cats were pottering around, Himself and Youngest were in the workshop 
and I stood and listened to the sounds from the garden, 
the excited screams of the swallows, 
the buzz of insects foraging
 and birds settling down in the trees.
I thought it would be a good time 
to 'hunt' the bees as they rummaged around for their final meal of the day.
The more I looked and listened,
the more I noticed the plants 
rattling,
quivering
and giving up their precious nectar. 
The evening light made taking clear pictures
a little tricky
as did the cats as they came to 'help'.
They like to watch wild life too (that's what they keep telling me!)
 There was a very buzzzy garden bumblebee
inspecting each blossom of the Polygonatum (Solomon's Seal).
I tried to creep up without disturbing the bumble
and no sooner than I'd focussed with the camera,
the bee was off checking out another flower.
The rain had really brought on the garden,
flowers are opening
and the bees are feasting!

Just look at those little baskets of pollen on the bee's legs! A busy little worker :)
I think this one is a Barbut's cuckoo bumble bee, 
I hesitate because although the markings are similar,
 this variety is mostly found in the the south, 
we might be a bit to far north here in Lancashire.


Eventually the midgies desire to eat me whole
sent me indoors.
But not before I stood at the gate for a moment longer,
observing the swallows 
dashing through the sky.

They are a joy to watch.



My Wildlife Campaign


7 comments:

  1. What a lovely, gentle bee filled post.�� Thanks for sharing your evening with us.��

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  2. Aahhh yes...the garden really comes alive after a drink of rain. x

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  3. Gorgeous photos of bees....I saw a bumble bee on our Welsh Poppies yesterday taking its fill! Mr GBT has just told me that the bumble bees are the first to come out because they can generate heat and the fur keeps it in. In Sussex they used to be called dumbledores!
    Arilx

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  4. Very good shots of the bees. I always fail to get good photos of small creatures like bees or small bugs. I move fast and forget their are very perceptive of their surroundings. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. Oh, lovely post. Our bees are quiet at the moment as the garden is getting ready to sleep & we don't get bumble bees, just mostly ordinary honey bees & our own native variety. Thanks for the pics & take care.

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  6. What a perfect combination - bees and hardy geraniums. One can't have too many bees. I am never bored with them and neither are you! Thanks for taking the time to do this post.

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