I spent my morning at Turriefield (my local community growing project) sowing beans and purple sprouting broccoli seeds.
Oh, yes and spring onion seeds which are irritatingly small and exactly the same colour as the compost. Gah!
It was good to see some basil, “that I had prepared earlier” make an effort. Yay me! If you knew just how hopeless I am around the garden, then you would realise this is a huge achievement.
After lugging everything down to the polytunnels where they could keep growing, I wandered around taking photos of the gorgeous herbs. I never knew sage could do this.
And then I heard a loud buzz and found a Moss Carder bumblebee (Bombus muscorum agricolae). This is our very own special bumblebee unique to Shetland.
He or possibly she was a large little chap and so after some internet research I am thinking he is a she.
The Shetland bumblebee has a distinctive bright orange thorax and yellow bottom.
This one was looking for water.
She was cleaning herself up and drinking, using the water that had accumulated on the skin of the polytunnel.
She didn’t seem to mind me getting up close to take the photos though I was wary when she was flying around as I didn’t want to be stung.
These bumblebees are essential pollinators and can be a good indicator of overall environmental health in Shetland. In the other polytunnel was some of the seeds I had planted that had moved on. I did this, I told myself. Yay me, again.
As usual, magnificent pictures! This is for the lovely Shetland bee, but your photos were unbelievable! Have you ever told us what camera & lenses you use? I’m a very rudimentary photographer, but my husband is a photographer & in his blog, he always gives the camera info. Thanks to your talents, we can take a trip daily to Shetland, even observing the fuzzy the Moss Carder.
Mostly I use my iPhone 15 pro
Love those colours on the bee. Were these wonderfully clear photos taken w normal camera or new super duper
My phone
I didn’t know you had a special Shetland bee. Wonderful! And well done with the plants. The soil looks sandy. I keep trying to grow vegetables, with mixed success. Flowers on runner beans at present and buds on courgettes, both from seedlings grown by a friend. I’ve also sown radishes and salad greens and I’ve been planting some bought herb seedlings today.
No, our soil is very peaty.
As Judy said: UnBEElievable pictures. 🙂
I love seeing everything which germinates at Turriefield and have polytunnel envy …
The Shetland bee is quite beautiful.
Wow, beautiful pics of a beautiful bee.