Nature Chain Winsley

                                       23rd March 2026 (Bees)                                         Fortnightly Blog Wildlife Gardening Tips in Italics   A spell of welcome warmth of sunlight... and spring bursts into action, yellow and gold! But in a wildlife garden, all that glitters may not be gold!  Pussy Willow , a mass of golden pollen coated stamens –  real  gold for big hungry Queen Bumblebees, building up to  creating their nests. Also, for Honeybees, flies and many more early insects – a resounding YES!   All flowers in bold italics are bee-friendly for any wild garden.  Pussy willow  needs plenty of damp, so unfortunately is not suited to dry shallow chalk and limestone soils. Dwarf weeping varieties can be grown in a large heavy containe...

Bee Diversity Sitting outdoors having a quick cup of mint tea... with my wicked treat of a spoon with a bit of melting dark mint chocolate precariously posed on the rim. I hear a familiar buzzing... a bee. A bee with good taste - it is flying and hovering around my cup, about to alight on the thick dark melt. Not a good place for bee feet! Its wide, flat legs are the ID giveaway - a worker Honeybee, early in the season.  Legs are important in the intricate business of bee identity. One in particular is the crazily named Hairy-footed Flower Bee – the male (on the blue Grape Hyacinth/ Muscari) has a yellow face, a very long tongue, which it doesn’t always retract between visits. The female ( on pinkish Pulmonaria/ Lungwort) is all black with orange hind legs. These two plant favourites of the Hairy-foots are vital in any wildlife garden for supplying early nectar. When you get your eye in, they are regular visitors early in the year and there are lots of them. Also around at this tim...