Summer Flora and Fauna

[TallTrees]

Summer Flora & Fauna 

My Summer starts in March! 

When my Red Mason Bees are anxious to get out to the pollen and nectar ~

good luck little bees

     Red Mason Bee

Summer flowers this year were saved and put out because of Lock-down no shops.

They all seemed to get going ~  

Greenhouse & Saved plants   Tomatoes seeds in pots       Tomatoes just sprouting

  

Summer Flowers now in Summer Bloom

            Begonia                                    Begonia                                   Geraniums

    

Then look after the fruit trees which came along well ~ difficult in the drought 

    Conference Pears                          Victoria Plum                  Queen Cox Apples  

  

Not able to get new seeds for herbs as all sold out and no shopping ~ so again saved from last year ~

               Mint                                     Chives                         Sungold Tomatoes

.

In Mid May rescued this tiny little Bird  ~ Now he's a lovely confident happy chappy out in the garden

looking after himself ~ I see him from time to time.

      Baby Dunnock                    Baby Dunnock Grown!          

   

Video of Grown up Bird Showing off cleaning feathers

This little Dunnock is my Happiest experience this year ~ so happy to have helped him grow up.

Summer 2020 has been challenging but still a huge amount of birds visited the garden:

Lots of baby birds of all sorts, Baby Robins with spotty chests, Siskins, Dunnocks, Bullfinches, Blackbirds, Song Thrush, Siskins, Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Wrens, Nuthatches, Tree Creepers, Wood Peckers, Collared Doves and many more all lovely and all welcome to the feeders constantly being refilled ~ and the water for hot days.

     Hanging Bird Feeder               Water bowl                      Old Tree Logs kept for bugs

  

The Garden and all it's Produce, Flora and Fauna have as usual been a very happy experience.

What is your happiest time in the Garden and especially this year?

[LukasB]

Wow @TallTrees you are an expert! Would love to see even more updates on the bees 

[Cleoriff]

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@LukasB wrote:

Wow @TallTrees you are an expert! Would love to see even more updates on the bees 

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This won most interesting thread @LukasB 

We learnt a hell of a lot about the bees @TallTrees looks after every year.

https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Off-Topic/sleeping-BEEuties/m-p/1160526/highlight/true#M116627 

[LukasB]

ohhhh @Cleoriff thanks for that! 

[TallTrees]

Hi @LukasB
Welcome. Thank you for your nice comments. I'll probably put a further update about the bees in October when I clean them and count them🤪
Hi @Cleoriff thanks for updating @LukasB along with a link! 😍

[LukasB]

@TallTrees can't wait for you to count them again 

[TallTrees]

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@LukasB wrote:

@TallTrees can't wait for you to count them again 

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Yeh,  suffer I  do for the love of my bees @LukasB 

🥰😝🤪🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 it's not easy you know🥵

[LukasB]

@TallTrees How do you even count them? They keep moving all the time.

[TallTrees]

Hello @LukasB 

I really count them. When they are in a silk cocoon {photo} they can't move and also they are in a dormant phase, warm weather wakes them up in Spring. Showing cocoons...

In each of those cocoons is now a full size bee waiting for Spring. I take them out of the nesting tubes clean them and store them in a cool garage until March then put them out in a box above new nesting tubes.  They then fill the tubes with the next generation. 

Thank you for your interest. 

[gmarkj]

A thought has occurred to me @TallTrees - how do you get them out of the tube without hurting them?
Are they stuck in the tube with the silk, or are they loose (so if you tipped the box they just fall out)?

[TallTrees]

Great question @gmarkj
I unfurl the tube very gently about 150mm long it is white curled paper specially made for the job. They don't stick to it at all ..fantastic. I'll photo one for you to see ...this white curled paper is pushed into a cardboard outer tube for strength.
Photo later 👍 many thanks for question.