What's flowering as forage in your area

[Erichalfbee]

The phone isn’t saying it needs updating, and I thought the picture was a nice clear one. I’ll try taking it again!

Ok what OS are you running?
Mine is 14.7.01

 

[plain_hunt]

Ok what OS are you running?
Mine is 14.7.01

15.5

 

[Erichalfbee]

Oh well. That’s not the answer then.
Oops so am I. Was looking at Stans phone which is on my account.

 

[The Poot]

I've just come back from a week in Pembrokeshire and this stuff is everywhere (where there is water) - not sure if it's a bumper year - prompting me to do a little research. Water hemlock (Oenanthe crocata) and 'Poison' Hemlock (Conium Maculatum, as administered to Socrates) are different plants but equally deadly. According to Identify Water Hemlock Dropwort - Totally Wild UK , "The whole [water hemlock] plant is deadly toxic. The roots are the most deadly, containing a powerful neurotoxin called oenanthetoxin, which triggers spasmodic convulsions, usually followed by sudden death. This plant has caused more deaths in the uk than any other plant*" [*Excluding tobacco and barley, presumably ]

Could be why I don’t get much repeat business........?

 

[Antipodes]

As if on cue with the passing of the winter solstice down here, the first wattle is out.

 

[elainemary]

Our meadow has changed a lot in the last week - the sun has brought out lots of ox-eye daisies, birdsfoot trefoil, eyebright, ragged robin & meadow vetchling. At the top of the meadow pale liliac, spotted orchids now in flower, following on from the darker purple northern marsh orchid lower in the field. Saw lots of honey bees on the ox eye daisies today collecting orange pollen. Loads of bumbles and butterflies on the other flowers. In a few days the knapweed and field scabious will be out. Honeybees love those for nectar as well as pollen.

Next door, the fields are being cut, like to leave ours til the some of the seed has set, later in July or august.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Next door, the fields are being cut, like to leave ours til the some of the seed has set, later in July or august.

That’s the reason we leave out till September and I harangue Stan to leave it till the goldfinches have taken all the knapweed seeds

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

We managed to get grant funding last year and share a 'cut and collect' tractor and mower ensemble to mow our larger open parks which is great for clearing the sward away but leaves the seed behind. the cutting then get left in convenient places to help the bugs and beatles.
At my Ty Uchaf apiary Fiona the landowner has decided to leave most of the land fallow and try and promote the wildflowers (the farm has never been intensively managed and has hardly been fertilised in my memory - apart from muck spreading, I've managed to broker a partnership deal there - she was willing to loan ten acres or so for community use, so we have been using our tractor to thin out the thick thatching of unmown grass to help the wildflowers through.

 

[Nannysbees]

Our meadow has changed a lot in the last week - the sun has brought out lots of ox-eye daisies, birdsfoot trefoil, eyebright, ragged robin & meadow vetchling. At the top of the meadow pale liliac, spotted orchids now in flower, following on from the darker purple northern marsh orchid lower in the field. Saw lots of honey bees on the ox eye daisies today collecting orange pollen. Loads of bumbles and butterflies on the other flowers. In a few days the knapweed and field scabious will be out. Honeybees love those for nectar as well as pollen.

Next door, the fields are being cut, like to leave ours til the some of the seed has set, later in July or august.

That is absolutely gorgeous

 

[Curly green finger's]

Phacelia is starting to flower

One of my mating nucs first photo.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Lovely field...Lucky you.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Lovely field...Lucky you.

Only 9 acres it’s mixed with some sort of mustard can you see?

 

[Murox]

Only 9 acres it’s mixed with some sort of mustard can you see?

last year I had a hive nearby to a field of mustard that was grown for cattle fodder (only a couple of acres if that) its flowering coincided with the brambles - they drew and filled a super in quicktime- then the weather turned. Honey was very light and pale, jarred at around 17% and whilst it has thickened a year on, its not really granulated at all.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Only 9 acres it’s mixed with some sort of mustard can you see?

probably bastard cabbage, it gets everywhere nowadays and a PITA as it can take over.

 

[Amari]

Phacelia is wonderful stuff. I sow it on our allotment as crops are cleared - rows of early spuds and broad beans soon. My last sowing in 2021 was in September. It came into flower c. early May and still has flowers! Highly popular with honey and bumble bees, hoverflies et al. More popular than borage which I used to sow and still have self-seeded plants flowering.

 

[StephenT]

This has overtaken the councils local wildflower meadow and my iPhone tells me it’s Knapweed which seems to be great for nectar. Saw plenty of bees on it.
The lime is pretty much over and not much sweet chestnut and so no large single species of forage around but a good mix of lots of different ones.

 

[The Poot]

I was pleased to see three fields, close to my property, with large thistles just coming into bloom. The fields have been left idle for a few years. This week I was irritated to find the farmer had grubbed out every thistle thus robbing bees and butterflies and birds (later on) of a real bounty if he’d just left it a few weeks longer. The fields are still empty / unused - he raises cattle which are cooped up in barns most of the year.

 

[Moobee]

Lots of lovely pollen colours in this hive in the home apiary. Brambles are bursting into flower and the privet in the garden is also full of flower as persuaded OH not to cut it back this year. Heard it makes lovely honey but the flowers smell horrible!

 

[Amari]

I was pleased to see three fields, close to my property, with large thistles just coming into bloom. The fields have been left idle for a few years. This week I was irritated to find the farmer had grubbed out every thistle thus robbing bees and butterflies and birds (later on) of a real bounty if he’d just left it a few weeks longer. The fields are still empty / unused - he raises cattle which are cooped up in barns most of the year.

My main apiary has been on the site of a disused plant nursery for 15 years. The owner lives a couple of hundred miles away. A few years ago I told him that there were patches of thistles appearing. Fortunately no action taken so now the thistles cover much of the area - plus seedlings of hawthorn, oak etc = rewilding!
Sadly I've not seen the customary bee orchids for a few years, though pyramidal orchids have survived and are in flower now.

 

[Curly green finger's]

probably bastard cabbage, it gets everywhere nowadays and a PITA as it can take over.

aye it’s some sort of brassica don’t think it’s cabbage .