The planting in Flatford Wildlife Garden is designed to provide pollen and nectar to as many different species as possible over as many weeks of the year as possible. At this time of year, just on the cusp of spring, early flowering plants provide much needed nectar for bees as they emerge from hibernation. During early spring, foraging can be a challenge for bees, largely due to the variability of the weather, but also because in general, there are fewer flowers in bloom. Bulbs, such as crocuses, are a welcome food source for some species, providing easily accessible nectar in their big, open flowers. Queen bumblebees are particularly fond of feasting on crocuses after a long winter's hibernation. Before they find a nest site, some bumblebee queens will even sleep in the crocus flowers overnight! But bulbs alone won't provide for the full range of insects - variety in our gardens is very important.
Early crocus Crocus tommasinianus, growing in garden
Jenny Shelton (rspb-images.com)
One plant in Flatford Wildlife Garden that is already attracting a lot of insects is pulmonaria, also known as lungwort. This plant is a particular favourite of the hairy-footed flower bee. Males and females of this bee species look strikingly different - the female hairy-footed flower bee is black and furry, and resembles a small bumblebee, whereas the males are rusty-brown and have long, orange hairs on their middle legs and feet. The males emerge first, in late February/early March, with the females appearing a couple of weeks later. Hairy-footed flower bees are noticeable for their movement. They are one of the most active of insects. The females are constantly flitting from flower to flower, whilst the males desperately try to attract females or chase off other males. They can be seen chasing rivals away from their favoured flowers in a flurry of furious high-pitched wing beats, interspersed with periods of more gentle hovering.
Hairy-footed flower bees are solitary bees, so they have no colony, no workers and no queen. Sometimes you might see them nesting communally in significant numbers, giving the appearance of a single colony, but in fact they're not a social species.
Although pulmonaria is their favourite flower, hairy-footed flower bees can also be seen on other early flowering plants such as primroses and dead nettles, then comfrey later in the season. So why not see if you can find space in your garden this year for some early flowering plants, perhaps as the start of a nectar cafe that provides throughout the season?
If you're interested in plants for pollinators and other ways of making your garden more wildlife friendly, you can book onto a Gardening for Wildlife talk and tour on 3rd May. Or this coming weekend, National Lottery ticket holders can get a free daffodil to plant in thier own gardens, as well as looking at the flowers currently in bloom in Flatford Wildlife Garden.