What's flowering as forage in your area

[Michael Palmer]

Things are winding down here. After one of the worst crops I've experienced, the Autumn flow hit. Lots of water in the ground. Three weeks of hot, sunny weather. Like the good old days before varroa. At August harvest, most hives were scary light. Now...heavy. Not too much feeding this year...the nucs usually take most of the feed I give. Not this year! So where did it come from? Purple Loosestrife was a strong flow in August...even though our gov't tried to kill it as an invasive. Lasted many weeks more than normal. Two weeks ago I was still seeing green nectar...from PL. Knotweed yielded very well this year. Usually an early September flow. Lots of burr comb with dark honey...the color of buckwheat. Great winter food. And, of course goldenrod. What an absolute awesome goldenrod flow. Like before varroa started. I smelled its ripening nectar...weeks ago. I still can smell the odor today. What's left? Asters. Small White and Multi Flowered White are probably the best for nectar. In full bloom right now. White Flat Topped is a good one, but not much around. Heart Leafed is a beautiful lavender colored aster. And of course the New England aster. One of our Autumn's brilliant colors. All done by the middle of October. After that? Winter rest.

 

[drdrday]

It really stresses how different the conditions are across the UK when so many people are talking about still waiting for the ivy. It's been flowering down South here for over 3 weeks, and being well used by my bees.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Knotweed yielded very well this year.

We were discussing this some time ago. I have seen it for sale but not tasted it
Your Goldenrod is a little different from the one we get here. I never see bees on mine. They are on our little white Asters and Loosestrife but just in the garden. I have seen Loosestrife along river banks in England but not Wales. Here our equivalent ( though I know it's not the same plant) is Himalayan Balsam. That did well for us this year, maybe because the bramble failed and there was nothing else for the bees.

After that? Winter rest.

And another log on the fire

 

[Garry R]

We were discussing this some time ago. I have seen it for sale but not tasted it
Your Goldenrod is a little different from the one we get here. I never see bees on mine. They are on our little white Asters and Loosestrife but just in the garden. I have seen Loosestrife along river banks in England but not Wales. Here our equivalent ( though I know it's not the same plant) is Himalayan Balsam. That did well for us this year, maybe because the bramble failed and there was nothing else for the bees.

And another log on the fire

Or in Michael's case off cuts of timber from his workshop - remembering his hive-building talk at the honey show next year!!

 

[Aneebe]

Things are winding down here. After one of the worst crops I've experienced, the Autumn flow hit. Lots of water in the ground. Three weeks of hot, sunny weather. Like the good old days before varroa. At August harvest, most hives were scary light. Now...heavy. Not too much feeding this year...the nucs usually take most of the feed I give. Not this year! So where did it come from? Purple Loosestrife was a strong flow in August...even though our gov't tried to kill it as an invasive. Lasted many weeks more than normal. Two weeks ago I was still seeing green nectar...from PL. Knotweed yielded very well this year. Usually an early September flow. Lots of burr comb with dark honey...the color of buckwheat. Great winter food. And, of course goldenrod. What an absolute awesome goldenrod flow. Like before varroa started. I smelled its ripening nectar...weeks ago. I still can smell the odor today. What's left? Asters. Small White and Multi Flowered White are probably the best for nectar. In full bloom right now. White Flat Topped is a good one, but not much around. Heart Leafed is a beautiful lavender colored aster. And of course the New England aster. One of our Autumn's brilliant colors. All done by the middle of October. After that? Winter rest.

What an interesting read. Glad you got a good honey return.

 

[ericbeaumont]

all done by the middle of October.

No mature ivy in your parts, Michael?

 

[Michael Palmer]

No mature ivy in your parts, Michael?

No Ivy here...maybe a bit on the walls of the University

 

[ericbeaumont]

No Ivy here

Had a look and found that English ivy (hedera helix) is recorded as 'absent' in Vermont. Is it the case that as a non-native, a policy of eradication was adopted?

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.o...kely to escape,the wild only in Massachusetts.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Had a look and found that English ivy (hedera helix) is recorded as 'absent' in Vermont. Is it the case that as a non-native, a policy of eradication was adopted?

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/hedera/helix/#:~:text=It is unlikely to escape,the wild only in Massachusetts.

Not that I know of

 

[Erichalfbee]

Has anybody noticed the almost complete lack of acorns this year?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

no - I'll have to remember to look around at tomorrow's apiary

 

[Michael Palmer]

We were discussing this some time ago. I have seen it for sale but not tasted it
Your Goldenrod is a little different from the one we get here. I never see bees on mine. They are on our little white Asters and Loosestrife but just in the garden. I have seen Loosestrife along river banks in England but not Wales. Here our equivalent ( though I know it's not the same plant) is Himalayan Balsam. That did well for us this year, maybe because the bramble failed and there was nothing else for the bees.

And another log on the fire

Our goldenrod has a very nice flavour. A bit butterscotchy. The colour is two clicks below white...ELA...not dark as is reported so often. In 2019, I had some very pure goldenrod in naturally build comb at the goldenrod flow. Even though in was in a plastic shopping bag....Well, it was at our cook out after Apimondia Montreal. The three Irish honey judges couldn't get enough. I told ya...

 

[Penninetrader]

Has anybody noticed the almost complete lack of acorns this year?

2ft high oak and host to

 

[Antipodes]

2ft high oak and host toView attachment 41397

What variety of oak is that one?

 

[Erichalfbee]

What variety of oak is that one?

Don’t know the variety but those round things are wasp galls.

 

[JamezF]

Don’t know the variety but those round things are wasp galls.

Are those the ones you can make ink from?

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

Are those the ones you can make ink from?

James

I think they are.

 

[RJC]

I think they are.

called oak apples around here

 

[Penninetrader]

What variety of oak is that one?

Quercus Robur, English oak. I was given some years back acorns from a woodland adjacent an old mill that was being demolished. The planting by myself was random to say the least, some heeled in some just thrown about. Over the years they seem to appear and I notice them meaning they escape the brushcutter, some not. Yes Galls, earlier in the year their shape and colour made me think they were acorns and that surprised me given the size of the tree. The ink mentioned by James I had no idea of so will have a read on that.

 

[holmbee]

I think they are.

I understand that oak gall ink has been made since medieval times from crushed oak galls with suitable addition of water and ferrous sulphate.