Some of you will remember a few months ago I posted about bees being attracted to purple. The report was in a national newspaper. I decided today I would go out into the garden....
and photograph as many bees as I could in ten minutes......
to see if there was a colour they preferred.....
As you can see there is a mix of colours.....
It would appear, at least in my garden,
that are happy with most colours.......
provided they can get to the pollen easily....
I was pleased in just those few moments
to see so many bees in the garden......woops another blurry image Rose.
I thought you might be interested in the above.....this is a Robin's pincushion, also known as the rose bedeguar gall........common all over Britain on the dog rose. There may be up to 60 chambers inside the brightly coloured gall, each containing a larva of the small gall wasp. They do little harm, and I love to see them in my garden. Many species of bug in a space, shows a healthy garden.
Just walking indoors when this Great Spotted Woodpecker arrived. He didn't stay long, but I managed to get this photo. Not the best but it's nice to show you what is around. Have a great weekend.......
Some of you will remember a few months ago I posted about bees being attracted to purple. The report was in a national newspaper. I decided today I would go out into the garden....
and photograph as many bees as I could in ten minutes......
to see if there was a colour they preferred.....
As you can see there is a mix of colours.....
It would appear, at least in my garden,
that are happy with most colours.......
provided they can get to the pollen easily....
I was pleased in just those few moments
to see so many bees in the garden......woops another blurry image Rose.
I thought you might be interested in the above.....this is a Robin's pincushion, also known as the rose bedeguar gall........common all over Britain on the dog rose. There may be up to 60 chambers inside the brightly coloured gall, each containing a larva of the small gall wasp. They do little harm, and I love to see them in my garden. Many species of bug in a space, shows a healthy garden.
Just walking indoors when this Great Spotted Woodpecker arrived. He didn't stay long, but I managed to get this photo. Not the best but it's nice to show you what is around. Have a great weekend.......
18 comments:
Cheryl your goal of having lots of bees in your garden has been met. Good job. I love seeing the gall and most of all the woodpecker. I hope you have a nice weekend too.
Hi Lisa....I think it has, at least for this year. I love the woodpecker to....he is here a lot, its just hard to get a photograph....
Wonderful to see all those bees and lovely pictures Cheryl; well done of the Woody too :)
Dear Cheryl,
So many wonderful bees! I agree, the health of any garden can be seen in the bug population. Some gardeners do not like the leaves of the plants to be eaten. For me it means caterpillars!
I love seeing your flowers and bees! The gall is interesting and very pretty.
Woodpecker is a handsome bird. I looked in my Birds of Britian book too.
Shall we bug hunt on Sunday?
Sherry
Thank you Tricia....
Hi Sherry.....I never worry about my plants being nibbled....it is the bugs, bees etc that I like to see most.
Yes let's bug hunt......I shall only post one bug this week and write a little about it. That was a good idea of yours.
Did you know that Chris in North Dakota also did a safari on Sunday. He enjoyed ours so much he did one of his own. It is good when people join in.....
What fun blogging is....
That Woodpecker photo is super,I really like them, they are so seldom seen for most people and so extra special to see one. All your pictures are amazing, love peeking at your stuff!BW Goosey
Tks Goosey....I love the woodpecker to, its always a treat to be able to capture him......
I should do the research like this in my garden. It would be interesting to see which colour atracts bees most.
We have had a family od woodpeckers visiting our garden for years but I have never managed to take a photo of them. I just look and admire , if I go to get a camera they usually fly away.
Hi Zvrk......that would be a good idea to do a study on bees and colour in your space.
Birds I find really difficult to photograph......I have occasionally got a really good snap but they are rare......
Ohhhhh that woodpecker! Doesn't he look like the king of the castle? And that robin's pincushion. I've never seen or even heard of one. How intriguing. You do have a busy, colourful, and interesting garden. Love to drop in.
Have a great weekend too!
Cheryl, wonderful to see all the bees!! What a great looking woodpecker. You have some fantastic birds over there. What in the world is that gall? I've never seen anything like it. Is it made by the wasp, or does the rose have a disiease? Actually, it's kind of pretty. Have a great weekend!
I can't believe you got all these wonderful photos in 10 minutes! I spent 10 minutes the other day chasing one bumblebee around to get one decent shot.
That's ok; I'll stick with non-moving objects and leave the bees to you.
Your research shows that scientists don't always know what they're talking about. After all, they spend their days in a lab.
Actually, in my garden the bumblebees, at least, definitely go for the purple. The other bees are not quite so discriminating.
The gall is quite interesting--not sure I'd want to be around when the wasps hatch, though:)
(And Toby left you a reply in my comment section...he also says he likes the woodpecker.)
Some great Bee pictures Cheryl...i hae just been given a new naturalist book on Bees which I am wading through...very interesting..enjoy your bug hunt at the end of National Insect Week!
Tks Wendy for all your lovely comments.....
Hi Beckie...I will be honest I am not really sure....in all of my nature books it does not say how the gall arrives at the plant. I would imagine the wasps make it. It doesnot damage the plant and you can just cut it out when the wasps leave.....
Thank you Rose.....the wasps are only tiny...they do know harm....They are actually quite sweet, I do not think you would be afraid Rose.
You make me laugh re: bees....I can imagine you following the bee around he garden and your frustration increasing......I will pop over to read Toby's comment.
Tks Steve....I must update my bee book....I have had it for many years, more than I care to remember.....
Bugs are not as prolific in the garden this year.....I still think it is something to do with the continuous rain we had last year. What do you think??
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