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earthstar

~ a celebration of nature

earthstar

Tag Archives: Honey bee

Greedy for Garlic

20 Sunday Apr 2025

Posted by sconzani in insects, spring, wildflowers

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Tags

Allium ursinum, British wildflowers, Dark-edged bee-fly, Honey bee, Ramsons, solitary bee, Speckled wood, spring flowers, Wild garlic

The first two days of the Easter break were very wet so I’m glad I took these images last Sunday. One of our local parks has the perfect environment for Wild garlic – Ramsons, if you prefer, Allium ursinum. A shallow ravine runs through the park, with a small stream meandering along its base, and, at this time of year, the steep sides of the gulley are carpeted with the lush green leaves and bright white umbels of garlic flowers. Elsewhere in the park, under tall old trees, the path is also lined with Wild garlic, so anywhere you walk, whenever you breathe, your nostrils are almost assaulted by garlic’s strong smell.

Though I know some people can’t tolerate this odour, it doesn’t seem to affect the insects, neither attracts nor repels them; a flower’s a flower, with the pollen and nectar that nurtures them. Last Sunday’s walk wasn’t particularly sunny but I still found a few creatures feeding greedily: a Speckled wood, a teeny solitary bee and a Honey bee, and a Dark-edged bee-fly.

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Out they pop

09 Tuesday Jan 2024

Posted by sconzani in insects

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Tags

British flies, British hoverflies, Buff-tailed bumblebee, early invertebrate emergence, Honey bee, winter insects

Invertebrates in the winter: some warm sunshine in a sheltered spot and out they pop: my first hoverflies of the year, several species of fly, a couple of Honey bees and a queen Buff-tailed bumblebee.
I should probably add that these images were taken on Sunday, before freezing Baltic air came blasting in from the east, causing temperatures to plummet. I imagine these critters have all now taken shelter once more, in amongst dense vegetation like Ivy or within cosy holes in the earth.

240108 invertebrates awake

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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