Wild bumblebees – as regular readers will know, are one of my favourite subjects. We are now in our second week of rain (and yes I know some of you are looking for it), but how do the bees cope. They just wait for a break in the showers. Not that there were many today.

Common carder bee
Some clever bees feed on the flowers in the greenhouse and polytunnel. But yesterday when I was in there during a heavy down pour I noticed the buzzing stopped. I couldn’t see the bees so think they’d gone back to their nests. Outside they wait for the brief glimpses of sun. The lupins are popular with many of the bees (here just white tailed).
White tailed bees on lupins
White tailed bees
White tailed bees
White tailed bees
While the larger Garden bumblebees seem to like the delphiniums, even those that have fallen over in the wind and rain.
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Garden bumble
The garden bumblebees also use the blue iris.

I have only seen the carder bee on the lavender (and some butterflies too). Both the carders and garden bumbles bees will still fly in light rain, I suppose they have to, otherwise they will starve. It is important to have lots of variety of flowers in your garden, that way you will attract lots of different bees, and other pollinators.

Inspired by Lens Artist Photo Challenge #48 – Wild