This time of year the garden can be a valuable source of Bee foods. April can still have cold snaps that bees can find hard to overcome. Especially the Bumblebee that is having an especially hard time.
Environmental issues within the countryside especially with modern farming practices have taken away both nesting sites and food plants. More and more gardens are becoming a repository of early food plants that the humble Bumble is dependant upon.
One of my favourites is the Pieris. A striking shrub that can reach up to 7 feet high in the larger forms and is suitable for full sun positions or in semi shade of woodland gardens.
At this time of year it is in full flower, bearing quite deliciously scented flowers with a sweet muskiness and very attractive to bees.
A fully grown Pieris (Pieris forrestii) 'Forest Flame'
Other forms are available, some are neat compact plants, some variegated leaves and others with varied coloured flowers. One to suit any garden.
Pieris 'Valley Rose' (Pieris japonica)
Pieris 'Valley Valentine' (Pieris japonica)
This Blackbird obviously has a nest of youngsters, he is continuously on the move collecting food to take back.
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