What's flowering as forage in your area

[Curly green finger's]

Hi, the temperature was based on my car reading when arriving, admittedly the site is sheltered and there was a little sun, but even if that raised it slightly I was still surprised. I didn’t see pollen going in so must have been nectar, however on thinking the plants will have been in the sun for longer than the hive so we’re obviously able to provide something or the bees would not have continued working it.

Regarding water, the area in general was quite wet plus there is a small lake that the bees access which is closer, so they wouldn’t go there to collect water.

It maybe that they are just bees which go out in colder weather as a split from them on another site is very similar.

You have some Hardy girls then, what type of bee's do you keep up there in York?

Anemometer I use one of these if I remember it, and the batteries haven't been used by my lad who's very handy with a screw driver for a 6 year old.
You would be very supprised, you drop altitude and the temp changes get in a secluded sunny spot and temperatures can change quite a lot wind speed also plays its part on temperature.

Frohe weihnachten

 

[Popparand]

Feijoa in full flower now

I rescued one of these from the back of a garden centre about eight years ago where it was quietly dying. Took it home and planted it out somewhere inconspicuous for it to make up its mind whether it wanted to carry on living or not. I thought it was dead then a year later saw a new strong shoot from the root. Then we moved. It spent two years in a container getting pot bound with foliage going brown every couple of months from drought. Replanted it this year and it bloomed better than ever. Amazing flowers, they don't last for long but in California they produce an edible fruit. Not sure whether they produce any nectar or pollen of any use for the bees. Tough shrub though - deserves to live in peace after all that.

 

[Antipodes]

I rescued one of these from the back of a garden centre about eight years ago where it was quietly dying. Took it home and planted it out somewhere inconspicuous for it to make up its mind whether it wanted to carry on living or not. I thought it was dead then a year later saw a new strong shoot from the root. Then we moved. It spent two years in a container getting pot bound with foliage going brown every couple of months from drought. Replanted it this year and it bloomed better than ever. Amazing flowers, they don't last for long but in California they produce an edible fruit. Not sure whether they produce any nectar or pollen of any use for the bees. Tough shrub though - deserves to live in peace after all that.

They are tough. Mine snapped in a big windstorm but grew back somehow. Delicious exotic tasting, high fibre, vitamin C packed fruit and the flowers are worked by the bees. Produce fruit in early winter which is when not much else is around. The Kiwis are big on them and they are the ones who have developed many of the cultivars. Birds tend not to eat the fruit too.... One thing Popparand is that you need to get a grafted one to be sure of fruit production. Many sold are not grafted. The grafted ones have a specific name on them (and are more expensive). I'm wondering if yours sent a shoot out below the graft perhaps?

https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article...probably-never-heard-unless-youre-new-zealand

 

[Curly green finger's]

Not much flowering, gorse always.. But it's snowing a bit.
Frohe weihnachten!
Merry Christmas!the sheep seem happy enough.

 

[Goran]

I was looking is some tables for feijoa.. according to that peppers are far richer with vitamin C than feijoa.. Am I missing something?

 

[Antipodes]

I was looking is some tables for feijoa.. according to that peppers are far richer with vitamin C than feijoa.. Am I missing something?

Definitely! What a flavour!
Mountain pepper is very high in antioxidants but it doesn't taste anything like as good as feijoa!
https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article...berry-has-four-times-antioxidants-blueberries

 

[Antipodes]

Any snowdrops or snowflakes coming out in the UK yet?

bees on the kahiki of the pohutukawa today.

View attachment VID_20210107_115426744.mp4

 

[Beekeeper Brownie]

I saw some snowdrops yesterday which were only about 2cm high, so they've got a little way to go yet

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Any snowdrops or snowflakes coming out in the UK yet?

Yes, reports of open snowdrops at the National Botanic gardens just outside Carmarthen, the early ones here have got white tips so won't be too long showing.
I don't go hunting on New Year's day any more, otherwise, when we get to Bethlehem,I usually saw a bank of open snowdrops at the farm where my grandfather used to work in the 1920's just opposite the chapel

 

[E&MBees]

Only Snowdrop leaves showing here at the moment.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I've seen crocus coming through daffs about 4 inches high down in yonder Valley nothing flowering as yet.

 

[Anthony Appleyard]

Feijoa sellowiana - Wikipedia

 

[Frodesley]

Hellebores flowering at NT Attingham and in gardens around me

 

[Repwoc]

Hazel (I think) catkins showing signs of opening when I visited my out apiary on Sunday.

 

[Curly green finger's]

We saw Hazel in the valley tody the cackins are out.

At home the crocus are 3 inches high.
Crums if the weather is OK they will be out in February

 

[Erichalfbee]

We saw Hazel in the valley tody the cackins are out.

At home the crocus are 3 inches high.
Crums if the weather is OK they will be out in February

I have a few crocus flowers out already
Snowdrops are well through though the white flowers are still closed

 

[mbc]

Any snowdrops or snowflakes coming out in the UK yet?

bees on the kahiki of the pohutukawa today.

View attachment 23779

You'd get wet nd sticky standing under that in a light breeze

 

[Anthony Appleyard]

Antipodes wrote: "Any snowdrops or snowflakes coming out in the UK yet? bees on the kahiki of the pohutukawa today.".
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Metrosideros excelsa - Wikipedia also called (Māori : pōhutukawa, New Zealand Christmas tree, New Zealand Christmas bush, and iron tree

 

[The Poot]

Hellebores have been flowering for a while now, some snowdrops have opened and I’ve seen a few primroses open. Hazel catkins are nearly there.
Mahonias, usually in flower about now, finished really early.

 

[E&MBees]

Couple of photos of snowdrops and hellebores flowering here.