I went along to the FOE Bee Talk last night in Brockenhurst, to hear Jon Oakley (professional Entomologist) speak about bees. Jon is also passionate about photography, so his talk was accompanied by some amazing shots of bees in their natural habitats. Jon's talk was very informative and engaging. He spoke about wild bees, bumble bees, honey bees and solitary bees, and
One of the main issues at the moment, is why some bees are declining in numbers, sometimes very rapidly. There was lots of discussion about this, about new species arriving in the country, spraying crops with pesticide, the varroa mite and the availability of food for bees over the whole year.
Some of the above issues I cannot tackle, however, I did come away with the feeling that I could plant some different flowers in my garden, which would broaden the season for the bees to find food (and add colour throughout the year). So using Jon's list and some additions from the FOE bee booklet, here are some plants that will create a buzz throughout the flowering season:
Spring - Snowdrops, crocus, winter flowering heathers, forget-me-nots
March/April - bluebell, dead nettle, pussy willow, flowering currant, bugle
May/June - Aquilegia, campanula, raspberry, blackberry, dog roses, ballerina rose, foxglove, wallflowers, everlasting peas, laburnum, lupin, honeysuckle
July/August - marjorum, sunflower, buddleia, lavender, cornflower, hollyhock, dephinium, centaurea, heathers
and then extending the season into Autumn as well - ivy, oregano
Also, if you want to ask David Cameron to adopt a National Bee Action Plan in order to find out more about the decline of bees and how to protect our most threatened species, you can go on line to sign the FOE petition.. http://www.foe.co.uk/what_we_do/bee_cause_petition_35038.html
BIG Wildwood Adventure - in the New Forest
4.30pm