bees - June 2019

I happened to be standing in the right place at the right time this morning to get a shot of a bee on one of my knautia macedonia Melton Pastels - one of my most successful flowers grown from seed, lots of flowers over the last few years, self-seeding and beloved by bees.

the bees are loving this allium christophii

I love seeing the bees go into the foxgloves

I thought this self-seeded echium was vulgare, ie viper's bugloss but as it's developed it seems to be echium Blue Bedder.

some of this year's echium Blue Bedder

Chinese lanterns I grew from seed for a friend but not sure they even have a balcony now so will plant them in my garden. My Chinese lanterns suffered vey badly in the drought and heatwave last summer so they could do with some replenishment. They have pretty insignificant white flowers.

this salvia Black and Blue has been badly damaged by slugs but there is a little left of it and it even has some buds

the fox-and-cubs have surprised me by blooming after I potted up some of the runners and then planted them, for a while I despaired of having any fox-and-cubs flowers again

this meadow cranesbill is finally blooming after I grew some from seed a few years ago, only got a few plants and they've been slow to flower but I finally this one is flowering

to the right of the cranesbill, a foxglove and to the right of that, snapdragons, lesser knapweed to the right and behind and a white flower in the back I have no idea what it is - will check it out later

more lesser knapweed buds

close-up of the lupin flowers - and a bee

a couple of bees on the nepeta flowers

fox-and-cubs in buds

tangerine sage buds

monkshood buds

delphinium in bloom

meadow cranesbill in bloom in back garden

the lupins had multiple flower spikes but seem to be coming to an end

then I noticed some fresh flower spikes: one left, one centre and one right with buds half open

the fox-and-cubs is in bloom

bees are back on the green alkanet, after the rain, I guess they will eventually go to the fox-and-cubs

and after the rain stopped and the bees could fly again, a bee on a knautia maceonia Melton Pastels

and one in bud