An Enchanted Place

Bees have always been some of my favourite creatures. Honey, bumble or cuckoo bee: if I spot it, I just have to stop and photograph it. Not only are they beautiful, as key pollinators they’re also such a vital part of the natural world. Recent reports state that they add as much as £600 million to the UK economy every year through their freely given pollination services, and the increased yield and quality of the crops served by them, particularly oil-seed rape. But the number of bees is sadly in decline which is why everyone should be encouraged to grow more wildflowers and plants for pollinators, and to reduce their use of potentially harmful pesticides.

Now in its fifth year of life and with an increasing diversity of plant life, the meadow has been filled with a wonderfully wide variety of bees this year. It all now all been mown, though, and with many of the wildflowers found growing on the grass verges and along the hedgerows also turned to seed, the number of bees to be spotted around and about has also reduced. In the garden, however, the Sedum plants (Hylotelephium) are just coming into flower, and it hasn’t taken long for the local honey bees to find them.

On the afternoon of day 105 of 365 Days Wild I spent quite a while watching them.

I also took a few videos, first of a single bee…

And also of the whole plant, speckled bees. They were constantly coming and going as I sat beside them.

That’s all for today. Have you spotted any bees recently? Why not let me know in the comments below?