After an exceptionally wet winter here in Ireland, we have had a really dry spring. But we did have some rain overnight and this morning. This allowed me to take some photographs of some wet plants for the lens-artist challenge this week – all wet. In order to increase the impact of the raindrops, I did a bit of adjusting of the shadows afterwards.
Another six on Saturday. Again the garden is a great haven during lock-down. No shortage of jobs to do.
1. So first I did some work on a very neglected flower bed. I have some plants that I over wintered in the greenhouse, like lupins, which I will pop in here over the next day or two.
2. Blackthorn flowering in the hedge. This was taken yesterday when we had some glorious sunshine.
Whitethorn
3. Cherry blossom – it’s got a bit burnt with frost, but the bees are enjoying it.
Cherry with bumblebee
4. Tulips – some new ones just about to open.
Tulips
5. Another bee – this time the Common carder bee (bit blurred) on kale flowers. I always leave some of the ragged jack kale to flower as the bees always enjoy it.
Getting a little bit done in the garden as the weather improves, but the rain has returned for today. Hope everyone is keeping well and sane in these strange times. It is a time to be really grateful for our gardens.
1 – Some cheery crocus to start this week. Photos taken yesterday in the sunshine. These are some of my bargain buys from earlier in the year.
Crocus
Crocus
2 – Anemoneblanda I think – don’t seem to be as many as last year.
3 – Dandelions – where there is dandelions pollinators should not be far behind. I saw one queen bumblebee in flight yesterday and one hoverfly, but it is still pretty cool here. And looking like it will only get above 10 degrees on one day of next week.
Dandelions
4 – Leaves are appearing on the crab apple tree. Always one of the first to come out.
5 – Some of the tadpoles have hatched. Their hatching was followed by a morning of frost which had a layer of ice on the pond so I hope most of them survived the freezing. There is no shortage!
6 – And finally Junior. This handsome fellow has been with us for a good few years, but we found him dead in the chicken coop yesterday. He had shown no sign of being ill, was a good weight, so we think he may have had a heart attack. He will be missed as he was always a friendly cockerel. We have a couple of his sons and one will get to take over his reign. This photo was taken a few weeks ago on a cold and frosty morning.
Common carder bee with it’s head deep inside a comfrey flower
1. Comprey is always a great bee plant, and it just keeps on flowering the whole season through which is a huge benefit for pollinators.Â
Carder bee on flowering kale
2. I always let my over-wintered kale flower as it is another valuable food source, not just for carder bumbles but also early bumblebees and white tailed bumblebees too.
Wasp of black currant
3. Wasps are predators of other insects but queen wasps emerging from hibernation seem to love my blackcurrant bushes. Each spring I see them feeding on the flowers, I suspect gathering nectar from the flowers.
Garden bumblebee on autumn olive tree
4. The autumn olive is proving really popular with the bees too. Yesterday I counted four different types of bees feeding on it as well as some small hoverflies.
Carder on Indian pea tree
5; Another carder (they are easier to photograph than other bees!) on the Indian pea tree.
Tulip
6. And finally a flower without a bee to complete my Six on Saturday .
If I whetted your appetite with my flower pattern’s post yesterday form the walled garden at Belvedere House, Co Westmeath, here are some more photos. The garden slopes, so some of the photos may seem to be a a bit of an angle.
Murtagh's Meadow 