Blog - flowering

bumblebee on lavender

Biting bees

by The blog at woodlands.co.uk, 12 June, 2020, 0 comments

In Spring, or earlier if winter has been mild, queen bumblebees emerge from ‘hibernation’, from their nests. They then need to feed, having more or less exhausted their bodily reserves during the cold of winter. Their food comes in the form of nectar and pollen - both of which can be in short supply in early Spring. Whilst the bumblebees may need food, flowers also have a ‘need’- pollinating agents - particularly bumblebees. The inter-dependence of flowering plants and insects probably evolved many millions of years ago, back in the Cretaceous Period. Read more...

A threat to bluebells ?

A threat to bluebells ?

by Chris, 3 April, 2017, 0 comments

Spring brings a variety of blue flowered plants such as bluebells, hyacinths and squills in our woodlands, parks and gardens. Bluebells are ‘easily’ recognisable. However, there are different types of bluebells. The bluebell that is native to the UK has the Latin or Linnaean name of Hyacinthoides non scripta. The Spanish bluebell (H. hispanica) is also to be found, and this hybridises with the native form, giving rise to intermediate types. The native bluebell has deep blue and scented flowers that hang from an elegantly arching stem. It is found in abundance in many deciduous woodlands and hedgerows across the UK, though it is unusual or rarer in parts of East Anglia and Scotland. The capacity of the Spanish Bluebell to hybridise with the native form has been seen as a threat to the native Bluebell - but now another concern has been ‘identified’. Read more...

Wild Flower Guide

Badger

Read our guide to wild flowers of woodland and hedgerow

Topics

Tags