What's flowering as forage in your area

[Curly green fingers]

Can not believe all you have crocus out and mine are just poking out the ground....apart from a couple of weeks we've been very mild.

My pictures are taken in the teme valley my crocus at home 450 metres on the hill are a week or two away from opening .

Although the pollen going into the hives on the hill are yellow , bright orange and browny orange colour today .

 

[Curly green fingers]

It was 13C here today and the bees where on the crocus gathering pollen..all the white/purple and yellow are in full flower a month early but the bees are not complaining.

Your pictures are very clear Steve very nice indeed.

 

[Millet]

Your pictures are very clear Steve very nice indeed.

Yours are not so bad either ..

 

[Millet]

My pictures are taken in the teme valley my crocus at home 450 metres on the hill are a week or two away from opening .

Although the pollen going into the hives on the hill are yellow , bright orange and browny orange colour today .

Gorse..? .

 

[Curly green fingers]

:

Gorse..? .

Yes gorse , mahonia and I'm not sure of the bright orange it looks like crocus but it looks really bright orange unless there's crocus in some one's garden near by , mine at home aren't open yet.
I've moved our buckfast bee's today to the farm only black bee's by the river and at home now so I can concentrate on them .

 

[Murox]

There is always gorse, crocus and snowdrops showing themselves in February, but I don't thinks I have ever seen Birch catkins opening so early, they are usually an April opener.
Found this by chance, sadly out of foraging range.

 

[Angularity]

Crocus, primrose, snowdrops, a few daffs and hellebores round here.

No bumble bees yet though, which is a bit of a surprise.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Crocus, primrose, snowdrops, a few daffs and hellebores round here.

No bumble bees yet though, which is a bit of a surprise.

I've not seen any bumbles yet either. Usually around by now looking for nest sites...

 

[Swarm]

Saw two on Friday.

 

[enrico]

Bumbles and a red admiral today! The first early crocus are open and will soon be followed by the slightly later variety however the garish yellow ones that are usually later than the naturalised ones are in full flower too. Mahonia open, cherry plum and almond are showing colour but not quite there yet. Blue anemone all open with the crocus and make a carpet of blue. Love this time of the year. Bees flying well too. A satisfying hum!
E

 

[Curly green fingers]

Bumbles and a red admiral today! The first early crocus are open and will soon be followed by the slightly later variety however the garish yellow ones that are usually later than the naturalised ones are in full flower too. Mahonia open, cherry plum and almond are showing colour but not quite there yet. Blue anemone all open with the crocus and make a carpet of blue. Love this time of the year. Bees flying well too. A satisfying hum!
E

Which mahonia Enrico aquapholium?

 

[thedozzer]

We have a lot of Crocus and Daffs locally. and in the garden, Sweet box (Sarcococca spp.) the bees are all over it, Viburnum, Yellow Mimosa (Acacia dealbata) bees are making that hum.
There is so much Cream/Light Yellow, Bright yellow and bright orange pollen going in, HM must be picking up the pace!
We have had few Queen bumblebees out, mainly on the Bergenia but the girls keep bumping them of the flowers.

 

[Millet]

What will light green/limey coloured pollen be this time of the year..? .

 

[Swarm]

What will light green/limey coloured pollen be this time of the year..? .

Were the bees looking a bit on the green side? Some of mine were bringing pale green pollen in last weekend.

 

[Millet]

Were the bees looking a bit on the green side? Some of mine were bringing pale green pollen in last weekend.

I did not notice any green on the bees or even seeing the pollen going in.. i spotted the pollen on the inspection tray that had fallen of the bees.. to date this is the first time i have seen light green at this time of the year..the only other time i see green is from Meadow Sweet in summer..

 

[Millet]

Another nice day and the bees are all over the crocus again..I fed and watered the pots yesterday and they are putting on a good show of colour today.

 

[Tom Jay]

Another nice day and the bees are all over the crocus again..I fed and watered the pots yesterday and they are putting on a good show of colour today.

Lovely pics!
Having moved my apiary to a new location, there are loads of crocus near their old site and none that I've seen where I've taken them! Mind, they'll find them sooner than me I guess.

 

[Millet]

Lovely pics!
Having moved my apiary to a new location, there are loads of crocus near their old site and none that I've seen where I've taken them! Mind, they'll find them sooner than me I guess.

Plant a load for next season Tom..it is brilliant watching the bees benefiting from them.. also fire a load of hyacinth in the ground...they seem to take of just after the crocus are finishing so the bees have a constant supply of pollen until the willows flowers..weather dependand obviously.

You could also experiment like i have.. well it was by mistake really but i put those crocus/hyacinth in planters and placed them 3ft from the ground to stop the chooks digging them up..they have flowered a lot earlier than the ones in the ground that are just popping up now..so again i will have another wave of crocus from the ones flowering at ground level..

 

[Swarm]

Willow piling in today.

 

[enrico]

Which mahonia Enrico aquapholium?

Not sure, both wild and cultivated
E