What's flowering as forage in your area

  • Thread starter Curly green fingers
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Willow in flower, loads of primroses and celandines, a few dandelions, blackthorn now in flower and some ornamental cherries, the rosemary in our front garden is in full bloom and covered in bees when it's not raining ... which isn't often at present !
 
I watched the bees on some scraggy blackthorn flowers but didn't get a decent picture. They were moving so fast from flower to flower - probably because there was nothing left for them. A little further on, the flowers were young and fresh but no bees. Others had got there first. This flower with maybe eight beetles (?) in it was typical. Blackthorn or sour cherry? P. spinosa or cerasus? Pass.

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We have 65 acres of commercial willow that we grow for biomass fuel which is starting to bloom. It is only about 750yrds, as the bee flies, from the hive's but it’s too wet for them to get there. In fact this little willow that is growing a few feet from the hive’s isn’t even getting any attention. Unbelievable amount of rainfall 😢
 

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It's horrendous. I had a delegation from the chickens today to ask for a dinghy.

James
On a sour note the neighbours dog/s have killed half our chickens this happened on the 2nd of march and it’s the second time it’s happened .
the police have been up and we are hopeful to sort this out.
 
On a sour note the neighbours dog/s have killed half our chickens this happened on the 2nd of march and it’s the second time it’s happened .
the police have been up and we are hopeful to sort this out.

That's really unpleasant :( Ours have to be fairly secure to start with so the local foxes don't get them. Just as well, too. I walked around the back of the workshop only a couple of weeks ago around midday to come face-to-face with a large and very healthy-looking fox. I don't think it liked me though. I chased it off the property and I've not seen it again :D

James
 
Damn foxes, we have a lot of free range hens here and although we have electric fence around the hen range the foxes are always trying to get in. They can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time and the other hens are so scared they stop laying.
 
I find that Mr Anschutz usually does the trick

I would. It's just the cost and the harrassment of persuading the powers that be to allow me to have an FAC, really.

Though I have discovered that whilst it does no lasting harm, a pellet or two from an air rifle stings sufficiently to discourage a fox at thirty or forty yards.

James
 
I’ve noted some OSR fields with flowers appearing south of Banbury ( north Oxfordshire) this week, maybe 2% of the plants but a timely reminder of the upcoming flow. Plenty of Hazel, willow coming into flower, blackthorn and crocuses and such too on show. I’m excited at the prospect of only 2-3 weeks before initial inspections so long as the weather plays ball.
 
Well, I may as well just retire. Now I've seen it all. Pollen on PI day...3/14. I think it's Silver Maple, but I see no maple trees in bloom.
Not even any swollen buds. The sugar makers are still boiling sap. Crazy
 

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