All a-buzz

On Friday the gardener came. I sat talking to her. I couldn’t help telling her how pleased we were to see so many more insects in the garden this year. It seems positively alive with them. I mentioned the butterflies we had now, not just the cabbage whites but newcomers we’d never seen before. But in particular I commented how pleased we were to have so many bees buzzing around.

She looked surprised. I asked why.

Apparently most of her clients complain about the number of bees, horrible dangerous things. She herself takes the view that without bees we would not exist either. They are essential pollinators, without whom the food chain would grind to a halt.

As far as we are concerned we love to see them. We are particularly pleased to see a variety of species. Some are definitely svelte honey bees, some are round bumble bees with white or orange backsides. I love watching those backsides wriggling around as the bumble bee ventures up the trumpet of a flower.

The lavender beds are alive with them. There also hoverflies. You can hear the buzz even when you are standing above them, no need to bend down. All very busy.

A happy bee on the lavender

Our other very welcome visitors are the frogs. I’ve just been up to the wild garden to pick a few flowers for the house. Babies, only about half an inch long leapt about. I had to be very careful with my big feet not to tread on them by accident. Lovely.