Having A Field Day

I know, I know.  I am not the world's best blogger but rest assured that I have been out and about and will be reporting back about it all.  Things I have done for the 30 Days' Wild since my last posting have included:

*  Noticing which flowers attract pollinators and which don't, especially in my garden.
* Photographing more wild flowers and escapes
* Smelling all the roses I can find!
* Yes I did get to dance in the rain but only once as we are having a drought
* Maintaining the more valuable (ie those attracting pollinators) plants in my garden and weeding out others
* Having a field day...

Here!

Buckfast Abbey, home to a remarkable building constructed from scratch by only six monks only one of whom was a mason!  It took 32 years starting in 1907 but was well worth the effort as you can see.  Also home to the notorious "Bucky" which if you are Scottish you will know more about than the average Devonian ('nuff said) and Brother Adam, who bred a unique type of bee known as the Buckfast bee which is resistant to disease and stings less.  You can see them everywhere here, because they have planted the right plants!  We arrived before 9.30 and the restaurant does not open until 10 so there was plenty of time for chilling out and watching the bees.

Geraniums.  Not the pelargonium type or the red ones with the addictive scent but this simpler variety.  It was everywhere and covered with bees.

Lavender of the English and French varieties.  The French was out in force being earlier but the other types were just coming out.  You can see how hot it was, a glorious "flaming June" day and again alive with bees because all varieties of lavender attract them.

Honeysuckle, another popular plant with pollinators.  So you can see that it wasn't just me that was having a field day, the bees were too!