Sexual Deception

All plants have a strategy for reproduction but that of the Bee orchid is especially interesting. It has developed so that in appearance it resembles a female bee – the pink sepals to the back of the flower resemble wings while the three petals to the front are extremely modified: two are short and stumpy …

That’s Not Waste Ground!

A factory close to us was demolished some years back with the intention that the area would be redeveloped. Then came the economic recession and the redevelopment - grand hotel, leisure facilities etc - never arrived and the areas was simply left to nature - waste ground? Nature abhors a vacuum - so said Aristotle …

Rain, Bees, Wasps and Northern Marsh.

We miss our "days out" in these dark-clouded Covid days. Despite government easing of restrictions, we will not be dining out nor drinking outdoors, nor meeting up with others, but will continue our lives of being cautious and careful and, perhaps, a little fearful for ourselves. Days out were always something we enjoyed a great …

A Little Bit Wibbly Wobbly

Waterford, south-east Ireland, 5 June 2021 That's the way it goes sometimes; not straight and narrow but off-plan, a little askew, a little bit wibbly wobbly. But, you know, a bit of wibbly wobbly fits in very well in the garden, especially a garden in a rural setting. Stiff formal would not suit out rural …

She is an Academic Bee.

She came late to education but has certainly made an impact now that she is here. Already, she has been feted in local press and on the national airwaves with a special appearance on the main evening news. We cannot begrudge her these moments in the limelight for, truth be told, she is at present …

Six on Saturday

This is my first time joining this weekly posting of six photographs from the garden. I have seen it regularly on a number of other blogger's posts but hadn't felt inclined to participate but, why not! Phymosea umbellata, native to central and southern America. It's a member of the mallow family. We grow it in …

Those Bees in Tramore!

There have been a number of good-news stories from around the country this summer about native orchids. Green-winged orchids appeared on the grass verges of a housing estate in the midlands when the local authority stopped cutting the grass there. Perhaps, some of the residents might have complained of the less than usual tidiness of …

There was a Buzz in the Garden!

The discovery of an unexpected orchid growing in the high grass was such a delight this week but was quickly followed by the flowering of one of our most loved native orchids, the Bee Orchid, Ophrys apifera. It was named because of its likeness to a bee and it goes far beyond simple appearance for …