As May finally warms up the pollinators are returning in force to the garden. Top attractions are the fruit blossoms, dandelions and comfrey. I wish I could share the smell of the crab apple blossom. The tree is white with blossom and smells divine. It’s popular not only with the honeybees but also at least three different hoverflies. As always the bees are just loving the comfrey. It is also a good place to find the hoverfly Rhingia campestris. This is an easily identified hoverfly here in Ireland as it is our only one with a long snout!
Bee numbers are still low with few workers about, but hopefully the warmer temperatures will result in more.
Butterflies numbers are low too – mainly orange tips and whites at the moment.
crab apple blossom
honeybee on crab apple blossom
Solitary bee, Andrena Spp
Garden bumblebee
Carder bee
Carder bee
Hoverfly – Rhinga
Murtagh's Meadow 
Lovely photos. What’s the pretty purple flower?
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The flower is comfrey – many of our bumbles seem to really like it, and it has long flowering season which is another great benefit.
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Nice shots! It’s great to see the bees emerging. They are going crazy here, and especially love the wild roses which are blooming all over the island. I often see two or three bees competing over the same flower!
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Our wild roses – we call them dog roses here – are a while off flowering yet but I do remember from last year seemed to be a favourite of just one of bumbles the early bumblebee:)
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Oh for a crabapple! Sadly my resident dear population will have none of it – or all of it, depending on how you look at it. Enjoy your wonderful tree!
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Sorry to here that the deer are keeping you crabapple free – mine is really putting on a huge display this year:)
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Lovely, lovely photos! The temperatures have dropped considerably here this weekend and the few bees and butterflies that were around are hopefully sheltering.
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Weather is so mixed here too – still very few worker bees about and I am sure it is down to this
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The crab apple blossom is sublime and I’m going to plant some comfrey if it’s the right time!
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Yes, now would be a good time Jane.
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Thanks for sharing these sights of spring. I remember one year when both bees and butterflies were rare, and I got concerned. But then they came back in full force!
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Good to hear your bee and butterfly numbers are good. Both had bad year here last year as we had poor summer so I hope they fair better this year.
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Not sure what this year will bring, but I hope for the best.
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Interesting, I’ve seen quite a few bumblebees and even a few bees in our garden, they are feasting on the flowers of the brassicas which are all in flower because we were not here to eat the vegetables, and so the garden is totally overgrown and in flower, to their and my delight. Beautiful photos above. I so hope we get to see more bees and butterflies this summer.
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Flowering brassicas are great for bees – they love them in my garden too so I also let them go to flower after I have harvested from them!
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Thank you for planting for pollinators!!! I left our kale overwinter & it is blooming right now along with a bit of Brussels sprouts that came back to life in the compost bed. PS, dandelion great for pollinators, too, since they are one of the earliest flowering plants. Just get them before they go to seed & you’re good!
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Can only agree with your good advise Lori:)
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