Bee Friendly

We're going to start another new month, with a few more pictures from our recent walks around Shipley Park. As always, it's nice to see so many flowers in full bloom around the countryside, especially if they attract lots of bees. Some of the most bee friendly at the moment, belong to the Common Comfrey which is growing near Pewit Carr.

The flowers are small, but numerous and change colour as they open. They are also perfect little nectar vessels for visiting bees.

In our own garden, we have a couple of Common Spotted Orchid plants, both in flower right now. Unfortunately, one flower stem was broken in the wind and rain a few days ago, so it now adorns our kitchen windowsill.

Again, each individual flower is quite tiny, but there are plenty of them and the smaller Bee species enjoy them - when still out in the garden! Photographing them indoors, means you can choose the background and they look rather good lit by the sunshine and pictured against black.

The Bees and Hoverflies, have been enjoying the Cow Parsley along the byways of Shipley Park, but they're now coming to an end, to be replaced with the larger, Hogweed. This Cow Parsley was lining our path to Osborne's Pond a few days ago.

Lastly for today, we have to lapse into cuteness for a picture of an extremely inquisitive little calf, in a field at Mapperley Village.

Of course, once one has his picture taken, they all want to have a go.

Told you they were cute!