What's flowering as forage in your area

  • Thread starter Curly green fingers
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Brambles are getting going here and the local 'sea daisies' (erigeron glaucus) which are in virtually everyone's garden and the bees are all over them in the afternoon. Interesting the way some flowers seem to give up their nectar at certain times of the day.
 

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Brambles are getting going here
In West Surrey they're all over. Rosebay willowherb & privet is halfway through.

seen some Sweet Chestnut open
Yes, in full flower in Surrey, and several weeks early. If this goes on, late July and August could be dry of nectar. Still, looking on the bright side, ragwort is out.

Bell heather looks patchy and almost done: plants are variable, too many looking worn out, and at 5pm today saw on good plants 3 bumbles and nothing else. Honey is in the combs, but not a whiff in the apiary.

Bell heather 1 2023 .jpgBell heather 2 2023.jpg
 
Hi, I just thought I'd start up a thread on what's flowering as forage in your area. ( Locally)
Here in South Shropshire ( clee hill ) there's hazel, gorse, mahonia. There might be more but this is what's around my apairys.
All pollen sources.
Thanks mark.
Hi, Bramble is the main flow here in South Devon with hemlock and lime starting. June Gap?
 
Hi, Bramble is the main flow here in South Devon with hemlock and lime starting. June Gap?
Was it really 2019 when I started this thread , everyday is a school day I didn’t realise the bees would work hemlock?
I think most folk have had minimal June gap ?
 
Was it really 2019 when I started this thread , everyday is a school day I didn’t realise the bees would work hemlock?
I think most folk have had minimal June gap ?
Never noticed a June gap here but we have seaside plants that seem to fill it - ie cabbage palm (just finished), tamarisk (still going) and the sea daisies (started about a week ago)
 
Never noticed a June gap here but we have seaside plants that seem to fill it - ie cabbage palm (just finished), tamarisk (still going) and the sea daisies (started about a week ago)
I bet you get some distinctive flavoured honey ?
I don’t get one at the works apiarys but at home it can last for a week or two 2018 June gap was two weeks.
 
I bet you get some distinctive flavoured honey ?
I don’t get one at the works apiarys but at home it can last for a week or two 2018 June gap was two weeks.
Some have likened it to a salted caramel taste. The salt laden air and sea spray we get in winter means that all the water sources the bees use will have some salt in it so guess that affects the honey too. Everyone seems to like it (and buy it) so all good!
 
Some have likened it to a salted caramel taste. The salt laden air and sea spray we get in winter means that all the water sources the bees use will have some salt in it so guess that affects the honey too. Everyone seems to like it (and buy it) so all good!
I bet! taste of the sea side 🙂 where can I buy some to try?
 
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Apart from the usual garden and surrounding woodland flowers, roses daisies peonies hawthorn etc this is a fine excuse not to cut the grass 😁 absolutely covered in bees of all kinds . The Himalayan balsam in the woods is just about ready to go too. 👍
 
Hi, I just thought I'd start up a thread on what's flowering as forage in your area. ( Locally)
Here in South Shropshire ( clee hill ) there's hazel, gorse, mahonia. There might be more but this is what's around my apairys.
All pollen sources.
Thanks mark.
Lime trees have just started giving up their nectar, sounds like a Tardis underneath them. All sorts of wild flowers around especially Green Alkanet, Broom, Snowberry, Blackberry, Raspberry, Cornflower and Poppy to name a few. My girls are spoilt for choice.
 
The nearby avenue of ancient limes is loaded with buds so maybe another week to start. The meadowsweet is just starting to open. A bit of rbwillowherb is open on the sea level roadsides.

We drove out west yesterday (Ullapool way) and saw heather in bloom along the road - a month early.
 
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