Tuesday, 12 May 2026

Of First Flowers and Twatted Bees

 Around midday on Saturday, I was happily perched in a paysho chair surveying the garden when movement from the lawn got my undivided attention.  It was Bitey, obviously.  But rather than digging a hole, or having a mad turn, he was industrially twatting something in the grass.  I leapt up and rushed over. 
 A bee!  Bitey was twatting a bumblebee!  I scooped it up and returned to my chair.  Fortunately, it didn't seem injured although one of it's wings was sticking out a little.  Still, it crawled around and buzzed a few times, so I got up and encouraged it to disembark my thumb onto one of the Echiums where it guzzled down nectar like nobody's business!
 


 
 On Sunday I was out there again.  As well as noticing that the rather tatty and desperate-to-be-repotted azalea had been sun-scorched (it's sitting on the Grand Paysho against the kitchen wall, in full view so I don't forget to repot and prune it.  It's been there for a week or more), I also noticed the first iris bud had opened!
 As had one up at Allotment Device.
 

 
 Speaking of the allotment, I was up there again today (day off work!) to give it a strim and do a bit of weeding.  Here is Allotment HQ being devoured by the triffid loganberry, ably assisted by a honeysuckle:


This is the first loganberry flower I noticed - back on 25th April
 

 As there seems to be a 'first' theme going on, here are the first flowers from Salvia 'Amistad' which opened today (welcome back, Jon!):


 
 And finally, a non-shadowed photo of the bark of my favourite Norwich mystery tree AND a photo of its leaves (I couldn't get any closer, Ms Scarlet - they're quite high up!):



2 comments:

  1. My big pink bush is also scorched! Wind? Sun? It's certainly not as pink as it usually is. Very upsetting.
    Nice save of the Bumble!
    I shall ask the tree expert about the tree. The leaves don't look quite right for an Ash - but it might be an Ash variety? I'll check back later with a better informed opinion!
    Sx

    ReplyDelete
  2. A slightly better informed opinion says a variety of Ash, but the World Trees book is going to be consulted because the leaflets have teeth, which is odd.
    Sx

    ReplyDelete

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