in bloom

The allotment is alive with flowers in early July.
Borage fights it out with the potato haulm assisted by calendula, cornflowers and foxgloves.

Little dorrit attracts hoverfly to the root bed and young calendula are poised to flower there.

Calendula are in full flower in the legumes and amongst the brassicas & leaves convolvulus tricolor are now in bloom along with marjoram.

In the permanent beds we have left some flowering comfrey uncut to indulge the bees, a lemon verbascum has overcome mullein moth caterpillar ravages and is now in flower among the asparagus. The apples and raspberries host foxgloves.

All of these nectar sources have been aided by some very warm weather. On Sunday there was an irruption of ladybirds. Larvae (pictured), pupae and adults seemed to be everywhere. Hoverflies were very active and the borage in particular was buzzing with bumble bees and honey bees. I even spotted what appeared to be a black honeybee with a white underbelly: distinctly different.

After two wet summers that have been very difficult for insect life, it is good to see (and hear) the difference that warm weather and sympathetic management have made.