.

...His feet are shod with gauze,

His helmet is of gold;

His breast, a single onyx

With chrysoprase, inlaid.

His labor is a chant,

His idleness a tune;

Oh, for a bee's experience

Of clovers and of noon!

(Emily Dickenson - The Bee)

Less than fruitful

We bought our first Pomegranate tree in 2004 and since then have propagated eight new trees from that original plant. Young foliage is a joy in springtime, flushed with red it is a real eye catcher when viewed against the sunlight. This year those small propagated trees have flowered well, as did the parent plant too; though not one of our otherwise healthy pomegranate trees has so far set fruit. The initial tree was not labelled as masculine or feminine so we assumed rightly or wrongly that the tree carried both male and female flowers. Despite a dearth of pollinating bees this year, due to a virus affecting many a European bee hives the plants should have been serviced by other beneficial insects.

Hebe

The hebe is always dependable for a colourful flower display and is excellent for attracting bees.

The tough character of this plant is being tested by the drought.

                         

The buzz

This is the swarm. I discouraged them with a light misting of water which with the cool wind persuaded them to set up home elsewhere!

If the garden had been more developed it might have been worthwhile keeping them. An inexpensive cardboard hive can be purchased in the agricultural retailers. A knowledge of bee keeping might of helped too.

Not so plain tree!

Whilst watering the trees today I noticed a dark patch amongst the foliage of the Plane tree. At first I thought it was litter blown from the farm nearby though as I got closer it seemed to be alive, it was moving.

It was a bee swarm! Honey bees in fact.

Spring meadows Bee Eaters return

The spring flowers are burgeoning in the Finca and they have brought with them insects galore, friend and foe alike. The bugs have in turn attracted the Bee Eaters, as colourful as any hummingbird could be.