What's flowering as forage in your area

[user 819]

Globosa lovely in flower but, oh is it such a short time.
My one in the garden gets plenty of attention.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Bell heather.

Early for bell heather; looked at some last week on Surrey heath and it's nowhere near ready; bit of rain will make all the difference (as Ian pointed out earlier).

 

[Bear]

What plant did this pollen come from? I’ve had this before. Looks a bit purple in the pictures but it’s more of a Royal Blue. A strong blue colour.

 

[Swarm]

Rosebay Willow Herb.

 

[Bear]

Rosebay Willow Herb.

Thanks.

 

[Newbeeneil]

My bees are on two fields of this at the moment,

 

[thedozzer]

Bramble, bramble and more bramble, never seen so many bramble flowers out at one time before.
The hot, then wet, then hot seems to suit them!

 

[enrico]

What plant did this pollen come from? I’ve had this before. Looks a bit purple in the pictures but it’s more of a Royal Blue. A strong blue colour.
View attachment 18302

View attachment 18303

Or phacelia
E

 

[thedozzer]

Or phacelia
E

we had a small field of it plated down the road, and the bees love it, and end up with fames full of purple pollen

 

[Erichalfbee]

Meadowsweet just starting here.

 

[Beersmith]

Very different to last season. For miles around my little out apiary there was no OSR at all this spring. In spring last year my hives sat in an ocean of OSR, yellow in all directions. Once that was over it was hard to identify any large amount of forage.

Currently immediately adjacent to my hives is wheat, but not too far away a large area of mixed grass and red clover, and only spotted recently a couple of big fields of peas in flower. Some bramble is already in flower.

Anyone experience of what style of honey peas might produce?

 

[ericbeaumont]

A visual from the car in spring suggested that OSR is part of crop rotation and may return next year or the year after that. I was wondering the same tonight while mashing potatoes and decided that next time I'm in Surrey I'll knock on the farmer's door and ask the question. Last year they had miles of it!

I'm near peas out East, but when I stopped the car to have a look there wasn't a bee to be seen, and this lack of interest is confirmed by this thread here in 2011.

 

[Beersmith]

A visual from the car in spring suggested that OSR is part of crop rotation and may return next year or the year after that. I was wondering the same tonight while mashing potatoes and decided that next time I'm in Surrey I'll knock on the farmer's door and ask the question. Last year they had miles of it!

I'm near peas out East, but when I stopped the car to have a look there wasn't a bee to be seen, and this lack of interest is confirmed by this thread here in 2011.

Thank you. Disappointing to learn about the peas. The clover is not very dense and interspersed among grass. I hope they can find it!:

 

[Beekeeper Brownie]

Off topic slightly but peas allowed a chap called Gregor Mendel to discover and understand dominant and recessive genes (inherited genetics) back between 1856-1863. Because they are largely self pollinating their offspring is often very similar to their parents unless a different trait is wanted to be bred into them so then artificial pollination is used.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Hb is flowering, bramble, Broad leaf rosebay and lots of alpine tyme, the white clover is also being foraged on.
Bell Heather is flowering over at catherton.

 

[Monbees]

Sorry, but what is hb?

 

[Etton]

Sorry, but what is hb?

Himalayan Balsam.
It is an invasive species that was introduced to Britain in the
mid 19th Century by Victorian gardeners. It did not
take long for the plant to escape into the wild and start
growing in locations across the UK. Bees love it!

 

[Curly green finger's]

Bramble, hb, clover, B leaf rosebay, thistle being foraged on today the flow is still good here on the clee

 

[enrico]

Just been down the river bank. Covered in rorippa sylvestris. Another brassica based plant. Humming with bees but I guess that will crystallises quickly too!
E

 

[Murox]

A general impression right now.