What's flowering as forage in your area

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Out for a stroll round the Loch this morning and found these along a sheltered spot. Sadly not really within range of my girls. Its Echium Pininana 'Blue Steeple Tower of Jewels'
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and the flowers .
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Seen these in La Gomera in the Canaries. Got chatting to a beekeeper who had them in his garden & they were humming with bees. He gave me a pot of his honey after we’d shared stories in pigeon English (and even worse Spanish on my part)
 
8th year after having our field harrowed, and sowed with yellow rattle, meadow grasses & wildflower seeds. Have planted several thousand plug plants from local seed I’ve collected, propagated and grown.

Biggest thrill is seeing common purple spotted orchid and southern marsh orchid appear after scattering orchid dust every year for the last eight years. Have counted over 70 orchids this year. Imagine what it will be like in 100 years!

After just 8 years it’s transformed from a grassy field into a pollinators heaven, humming with bumblebees and honeybees. Lots of honeybees on the red clover, despite what the books say about their tongues not being long enough.

My legacy.
 

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Amazing just how many "types" of orchid there are. There are some specialised ones in the established sand dune grassland up here, quite remarkable.
 
Loads of orchids up at the range apiary and I'm sure if I pushed through the growth and followed the track up to the top meadows there would be loads more. last year, not only were they growing in the overgrown track behing the hives but all the way down the centre of the track back to the bottom of the quarry. also got them growing in the orchard at the smaller apiary at Amanford.
orchid 2.jpgorchid1.jpg
 
8th year after having our field harrowed, and sowed with yellow rattle, meadow grasses & wildflower seeds. Have planted several thousand plug plants from local seed I’ve collected, propagated and grown.

Biggest thrill is seeing common purple spotted orchid and southern marsh orchid appear after scattering orchid dust every year for the last eight years. Have counted over 70 orchids this year. Imagine what it will be like in 100 years!

After just 8 years it’s transformed from a grassy field into a pollinators heaven, humming with bumblebees and honeybees. Lots of honeybees on the red clover, despite what the books say about their tongues not being long enough.

My legacy.
Simply stunning.
 
8th year after having our field harrowed, and sowed with yellow rattle, meadow grasses & wildflower seeds. Have planted several thousand plug plants from local seed I’ve collected, propagated and grown.

Biggest thrill is seeing common purple spotted orchid and southern marsh orchid appear after scattering orchid dust every year for the last eight years. Have counted over 70 orchids this year. Imagine what it will be like in 100 years!

After just 8 years it’s transformed from a grassy field into a pollinators heaven, humming with bumblebees and honeybees. Lots of honeybees on the red clover, despite what the books say about their tongues not being long enough.

My legacy.

Do you see honey bees on Yellow rattle and Pink campion. I have both in a garden grass patch but have not seen either used.
 
Do you see honey bees on Yellow rattle and Pink campion. I have both in a garden grass patch but have not seen either used.
I have campion and haven't seen honeys on them only bumbles
 
Amazing just how many "types" of orchid there are. There are some specialised ones in the established sand dune grassland up here, quite remarkable.
I recently spotted some White Helliborine’s. My best spot so far as they are on the ‘red list’. Felt very privileged.
 

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