What's flowering as forage in your area

[jenkinsbrynmair]

My cousin's farm - he doesn't do much with these middle fields, another one this size next to it and two more the other side of the woods and another area about the same size the other side of the house, must be fifty sixty acres which has had nothing more than a cut of silage taken off every year - no fertilizers and not much grazing for ten years, all the manure is spread on another 50 acres (His grandmother's old farm) the other side of the lane which was very poorly put back after open cast mining in the early seventies. There's also the 'top fields' which used to be mountain land in commons but was stolen by the Cawdors in the 1860's then rented to his great grandfather before his father bought it back. this hardly gets meddled with at all.

 

[Nannysbees]

My cousin's farm - he doesn't do much with these middle fields, another one this size next to it and two more the other side of the woods and another area about the same size the other side of the house, must be fifty sixty acres which has had nothing more than a cut of silage taken off every year - no fertilizers and not much grazing for ten years, all the manure is spread on another 50 acres (His grandmother's old farm) the other side of the lane which was very poorly put back after open cast mining in the early seventies. There's also the 'top fields' which used to be mountain land in commons but was stolen by the Cawdors in the 1860's then rented to his great grandfather before his father bought it back. this hardly gets meddled with at all.
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Absolutely beautiful

 

[Newbeeneil]

We have a hedge of Japanese Spindle tree which is just about flowering. The bees go mad on it for a couple of weeks.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Oh we have this in the garden. I wondered what it was?

 

[elainemary]

Can I buy some seed from you?

We collected and sold some on eBay as a trial last year. Bought a leaf blower that sucks as well as blows and collected seed that way by hoovering! Will make a note to get in touch if / when we do it again this year. Thanks for asking

 

[Newbeeneil]

Oh we have this in the garden. I wondered what it was?

My Seek app identifies it as such anyway!

 

[Erichalfbee]

My Seek app identifies it as such anyway!

Yes Evergreen Spindle
Euonymus japonicus.
The bumbles love it particularly

 

[KittyB]

Thankyou it brings joy every year and just gets better. Here are some pics from 10-11 years ago when we started to clear this overgrown field - long neglected but fundamentally unimproved grassland. Then harrowed ready for seeding.

The RSPB donated basic meadow seed - meadow grasses, yellow rattle, eyebright, meadow buttercup and of course original seed buried deep in the soil. I then germinated and grew over 1000 plugs of perennial wildflowers a year for the last 10 years and planted in the meadow. Have also sprinkled orchid seed and other wildflower seed collected locally. It’s cut each august after the yellow rattle and most of the wildflowers have seeded and our farmer neighbour puts sheep on the aftermath and he takes the hay for his cows and sheep. Win-win for both of us. I now collect some of the seed late summer and donate to others interested in creating a patch locally. Has over 40 species of wildflowers and 20 species of meadow grasses.

Has been a long project but you can’t rush good things! Like you, I have memories of growing up in rural Lincolnshire, collecting and pressing wildflowers for school projects and have always wanted to recreate one. Sadly we’ve lost 96% of our wildflower meadows since the last world war

What a brilliant project
You are right to be proud of what you've achieved because it's really something special

 

[Beesnaturally]

I love 'overgrown'! When its poor soil that is, and what you get isn't just grasses, nettles and thistles! My place is (increasingly) a riot of hedges, self-sown trees, bramble, and far too many native plant species to list. I love the way it offers a feast for small mammals and birds in the autumn, carrying all those flowering seeds far and wide. The bees help with pollination, giving large crops: the birds do the rest, and both are in their own ways 'farming' the landscape - creating more and more available food sources. Interestingly they (of course) sow much more underneath overhead power lines! I use a few sheep to (semi) manage most of the land, badgers dig up seeds and create open soil as they seek winter food. Every year it all gets more blissful, and I haven't planted a thing other than native hedging.

 

[Sutty]

Spotted some Himalayan balsalm flowering today!

 

[user 20297]

Wild raspberries.

 

[Busylizzie]

We have just over half an acre of phacelia just coming into flower. The honey and bumble bees love it. It helps with the June gap. The buzz of the bees is great

 

[Dutchman]

No June gap here this year,from dandilion to maple and sycamore and horse chestnut then to hawthorn and as it went over they moved on to wild raspberries cabbage palm, phacelia and now the blackberries are starting, apiary sounds like a train, first combs of spring honey are being sealed. So far so good.

 

[thorn]

I have a huge pyracantha immediately beside the hives. The bees love it.

 

[JamezF]

I have a huge pyracantha immediately beside the hives. The bees love it.

The bees are big fans of our various pyrocanthas too. Me, not so much when it comes to pruning time

James

 

[pargyle]

I have a huge pyracantha immediately beside the hives. The bees love it.

I have a pyracantha hedge - certainly keeps the burglars out ! The hedge from hell as far as annual pruning goes but the bees are all over it at present.

 

[holmbee]

I have a huge pyracantha immediately beside the hives. The bees love it.

Sadly my huge pyracantha has just gone over. It has been a magnet for my hives over several days. Now waiting for blackberry - nearly there and then lime at the end of the month. Just hope conditions are right for lime - would make a real boost for this years harvest.

 

[Wilco]

Have a feeling we've had the right early conditions for good lime this year. Just need the right weather at flowering.

 

[StephenT]

Some of the lime trees nearby are starting to flower. Hopefully the conditions will be right for a good flow. The hives were certainly super busy first thing today.

 

[BitterleyBee]

Spotted some Himalayan balsalm flowering today!

then pull them or crush the stems quick before the flowers produce seed. It might look lovely but it’s an invasive species that fs up the environment for native species