What's flowering as forage in your area

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Went for a walk along the South Downs Way on Sunday and diverted down a path locally called "the Milky Way" to discover the whole area covered with flowering Ramsons..... amazing sight. I didn't see any honey bees on it but lots of flies and beetles.
If bees do forage on it the garlic flavoured honey may be interesting? :)
 

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Badly in need of nectar coming in. For the first time ever there is no OSR near. They did little with the blackthorn. For the first time in years, they are really going at the Hawthorn.
 
Hawthorne pollen going into the hives today .
Bees working the holly , apple , rodos , blackcurrant , clematis montana rubens all in the garden , looks like there keeping it local today
 
Badly in need of nectar coming in. For the first time ever there is no OSR near. They did little with the blackthorn. For the first time in years, they are really going at the Hawthorn.
I hope you get a decent flow, Hawthorn is gorgeous honey. Speaking of which, it is just beginning to flower here and the Maples are laden with flowers. Also noticed Horse Chestnut pollen the other day.
The Gorse is taking a rest now that there other things on offer.
 
Girls foraging in the garden
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Not flowering yet but lots of big flower buds on the bramble here - nuts!
 
Thought I'd put this on here it's a female sallow willow flower, which is swelling up full of seeds.
Second picture rodo flower bee collecting water
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Badly in need of nectar coming in. For the first time ever there is no OSR near. They did little with the blackthorn. For the first time in years, they are really going at the Hawthorn.


I'm quite surprised to hear you say this. We have had OSR, which is now going over, much earlier (3 weeks) than usual, but in the last week I've seen sycamore, rowan, cotoneaster, ceanothus, the apple is in full flower, rosemary and hawthorne just hitting full bloom, field beans. I may be wrong, but I'm not anticipating the usual post-OSR lull. I do wonder if everything is going to be concentrated in spring, and summer might be a bit flat
 
Not much judging by the lack of fresh nectar in colonies yesterday. Plenty of rain in the last week and apple blossom and dandelions still looking good but too cold. Masses of pollen coming in, mostly apple with one bee seen with bright orange - asparagus?

I left some wet supers outside the shed at home and they soon got some interest.
 
The Hawthorn around here is exceptional this year and the bees are largely ignoring the apples in favour of it.
 
Same here, though there is the odd one with buds and a few open flowers. The apple blossom has been lovely, still a fair bit about.
Looking at the pollen coming in, there must be plenty of choice for them. Last two inspections I've noticed the same and should have taken a photo, two examples.
Bees with a typical Balsam stripe but yellow.
Bees with clay brown around the rear of their abdomens, as if they'd sat in something.
 
shudder to think why they call it that - the things you find discarded down quiet lanes :eek:

Your imagination JBM! :icon_204-2::icon_204-2:

We think it refers to the white flowers, the path is about a mile long with Ramsons the whole length including banks and woodland. There must have been acres of the stuff.
TBH I've seen more this year than ever before. It seems a good year for many wild flowers, we have noticed loads of bugle and green alkanet this year as well
 
Dani,
That looks desperate. Not even hedges with brambles between the fields!
And what does the farmer gain creating such a landscape?
 

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