Rounding the Year: Bees and Blackberry Blossom

While walking down my street this week I saw this patch of blackberry brambles in blossom being visited by dozens of bees. You should be able to spot three in the photo. Earlier in the day, a friend in another country had posted a picture she'd taken of ripe fruit on a blackberry bush. It reminded me how  seasonal changes vary throughout the world. 

This is one of the reasons I prefer to celebrate what I can see happening in nature around me rather than stick to a fixed structure of eight pagan wheel of the year festivals. 

What's in flower or fruit in your area?

Share your Pictures

Since my book Rounding the Wheel of the Year  came out I've been inviting people to share seasonal pictures, art, crafts, words and other creativity. I'd love to encourage readers to record what's happening in nature in various ways including photographs, as well as other seasonal journalling, musings, drawing, painting and crafting.

Here are ways to share the things you're doing or what you see out and about as the wheel turns:

• Leave a comment on this post about what you're up to
• Find my prompts to share on my Facebook Page: Lucya Starza Pagan Portals Author
• Share on Instagram with the tag #RoundingtheYear
  

Where to find Rounding the Wheel of the Year

My book offers more ways to acknowledge and celebrate the seasons in ritual, magic, folklore and nature. You can view Rounding the Wheel of the Year on Amazon, find it at esoteric bookshops or via my publisher Moon Books: https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/moon-books/our-books/pagan-portals-rounding-wheel-year

(Please note: I earn commission from some links.)

Other previous Related Posts
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/04/rounding-year-helping-birds-in-nesting.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/02/rounding-year-daffodils-narcissus.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/03/springtime-camellias.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/01/rounding-year-flower-of-love-hope-or.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/03/rounding-year-too-soon-for-silver-birch.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/03/rounding-year-damson-blossom-green-buds.html

Pagan Eye: A Bee on Yellow Blossom on a Daily Walk

Here's a bee on yellow blossom, which I photographed yesterday on a daily walk around my area. Unsurprisingly this year, nearly all the photographs I've taken of the great outdoors have been pretty local to me. They've been things I can see from my windows, things in my garden, and photos taken on the short walks I've done in the streets or park close to my home.

It does show that you can observe the beauty of nature and the changing seasons without getting in a car or on a bus or train. Even in cities like London, where I live, there are plants and flowers and trees and wildlife. What's more, I can observe these things in the most environmentally friendly way possible - on foot.

My Pagan Eye posts show photos that I find interesting - seasonal images, pagan sites, events, or just pretty pictures. If you want to send me a photo for a Pagan Eye post, please email it to badwitch1234@gmail.com Let me know what the photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself. 

Links and previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2021/03/pagan-eye-silver-birch-catkins-and.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2021/03/pagan-eye-spring-blossom-on-apricot-tree.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2021/02/pagan-eye-february-twilight-over.html

Pagan Eye: The Hive at Kew Gardens

Yesterday I posted a photo of one of the oldest man-made structures at Kew Gardens - the Temple of Aeolus - and this morning I am sharing a picture of the most recent - the Hive. Both buildings were inspired by aspects of nature and both are open to the air. The temple was dedicated to the winds and built on an artificial mound so people could appreciate fresh breezes from all directions while enjoying the view of the gardens. The Hive was inspired by the abode of bees. It tries to give humans an experience of life through the senses of the bee.

According to the Kew Gardens website:

It is constructed from around 170,000 parts including thousands of pieces of aluminium which catch the changing sunlight. There are 1,000 LED lights dotted around its core which glow and fade, while a unique soundtrack hums in response to the activity of real bees in a beehive behind the scenes at Kew.

The Hive has to be experienced to be fully appreciated - a flat picture doesn't portray what it is like to be inside it, hear the gentle hum of life all around and watch the lights gently change. It is relaxing, but also makes you feel part of the great community of life. As well as being an art installation and educational project, the hive collects valuable scientific data and is surrounded by wildflower meadows to attract bees. Kew staff are available to answer questions and there are free talks about bees too.

My Pagan Eye posts show photos that I find interesting - seasonal images, pagan sites, events, or just pretty pictures. If you want to send me a photo for a Pagan Eye post, please email it to badwitch1234@gmail.com Let me know what the photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself.

Links and previous related posts:
http://www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens/whats-on/thehive
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/06/taste-of-honey.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/03/pagan-eye-east-end-street-art-promotes.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2016/09/occult-london-temple-of-aeolus-at-kew.html

News: Mercury, Wildflowers, Folklore, Witchcraft

"The mythology of Britain’s wildflowers" - story at The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/discover-woodland-trust/2016/apr/06/the-mythology-of-britains-wildflowers

"Mercury's journey across Sun under way" - story at BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-36228327

"Radiohead's Burn the Witch may be critique of refugee crisis, says animator" - story at The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/may/05/radioheads-burn-the-witch-may-be-critique-of-refugee-crisis-says-animator

"Bees exposed to more pesticides from contaminated wildflowers nearby treated farms, suggests new data" - story at Farminguk: http://www.farminguk.com/News/Bees-exposed-to-more-pesticides-from-contaminated-wildflowers-nearby-treated-farms-suggests-new-data_39564.html

"Come and join in with witch trials!" - story at Swindon Advertiser: http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/leisure/theatre/14472969.Come_and_join_in_with_witch_trials_/

"How a fear of witches and witchcraft dominated rural North Yorkshire life" - story at Gazette and Herald: http://www.gazetteherald.co.uk/features/columnists/14454625.How_a_fear_of_witches_and_witchcraft_dominated_rural_North_Yorkshire_life/

Planting Bee-Friendly Flower Seeds in Egg Shells

It is Earth Hour this evening - the annual call to turn off the electric lights and gadgets for an hour after it gets dark as a small gesture to helping the environment. Tonight I'll be joining in with Earth Hour, but I thought I'd also do something environmentally friendly during the day.

I'd seen a meme going around on Facebook showing egg shells being used to grow plants from seeds. Seeing as I've been enjoying boiled eggs with bread-and-butter soldiers for my lunch recently, I thought I'd save up the egg shells and have a go.

I carefully washed out the shells and popped them back into the egg box. Then, I nearly filled them with compost from my own garden, popped a couple of seeds for bee-friendly flowers in each, put more compost on top and gave them a watering.

They are now sitting in my window sill. Hopefully some seedlings will grow from them and I'll be able to plant them out in the garden to help the bees.

Egg shells also make great containers for seed bombs, if you fancy a little guerrilla gardening as an Earth Hour activity. I would recommend using a small amount of wet clay to seal the open top of the egg though, unless you are very good at keeping an egg box upright while carrying it around.

Earth Hour is from 8.30pm-9.30pm tonight, wherever you are in the world. For more details about it, visit http://www.earthhour.org/

There is also a pagan Earth Hour ceremony taking place in London this evening. You can find out more here: http://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Outdoor-Pagans/events/219778814/

Previous related posts:
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/03/pagan-eye-playing-midnight-party-for.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/03/pagan-eye-east-end-street-art-promotes.html

Pagan Eye: East End Street Art Promotes Saving Bees

This coming Saturday is Earth Hour, when people all over the world turn of the lights for 60 minutes as a gesture towards helping the environment. This street art mural in East London is also about helping the environment - the importance of saving the bees. Now is the perfect time of year in the UK to plant seeds for bee-friendly plants, so why not do that during the day on Saturday before turning the lights off between 8.30pm and 9.30pm in the evening?

You can find out about Earth Hour events and activities here: http://www.earthhour.org/

My Pagan Eye posts show photos that I find interesting - seasonal images, pagan sites, events, or just pretty pictures. If you want to send me a photo for a Pagan Eye post, please email it to badwitch1234@gmail.com Let me know what the photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself.

Links and previous related posts
http://www.earthhour.org/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/12/hugs-under-hood-seasons-greetings-in.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/03/pagan-eye-playing-midnight-party-for.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/05/pagan-eye-bee-inside-pumpkin-flower.html

Wildflowers from Orkney: Orchid and Bird's-Foot Trefoil

Two more photos from my holiday album - above, bird's-foot trefoil and right, marsh orchid. Both of these plants are part of the wonderful range of wildflowers that proliferate on Orkney.

Bird's-foot trefoil is loved by bees. It was once used for dye and fed to livestock. In folklore, bird's-foot-trefoil was associated with crows and sometimes called "crows toes", probably because its black seed pods look like black claws. It was also used for protective magic and could be woven into protective wreaths, along with other flowers, around the time of midsummer.

Marsh orchids were once part of the diet of the people living on Orkney because they are very nutritious - especially the tubers, which could be ground up and added to bread. Magically, orchids are associated with Venus and were traditionally used in love spells. Marsh orchids are a protected species these days. Of course, even if a plant is not a protected species, you should never pick wildflowers unless you have permission of the owner of the land on which they grow.

Links and previous related posts
Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (Llewellyn's Sourcebook Series) (Cunningham's Encyclopedia Series)
http://www.scapaflow.co/index.php/wildlife_and_landscape/plants_and_animals/the_medicinal_use_of_plants
http://www.irelandswildlife.com/birds-foot-trefoil-lotus-corniculatus/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/06/scotland-holiday-tomb-of-eagles.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2013/07/foxgloves-mystery-and-magic-in-english.html

Pagan Eye: Bee Inside a Pumpkin Flower

Here is a beautiful photo sent to me by fellow witch and blogger Stacey Carroll, who writes The Country Witch's Cottage.

Stacey said: "I thought might be nice for the Pagan Eye. It is of a bee inside a pumpkin flower in my autumn garden, purely a chance photo as I was taking photos of other things."

My Pagan Eye posts show photos that I find interesting - seasonal images, pagan sites, events, or just pretty pictures. If you want to send me a photo for a Pagan Eye post, please email it to badwitch1234@gmail.com Let me know what the photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself.

The photo is copyright Stacey Carroll.

Links and previous related posts
http://thecountrywitchscottage.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/08/pagan-eye-hibiscus.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/08/pagan-eye-moonfire-dahlia.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/05/pagan-eye-arum-lily-symbol-of-sex-and.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/05/pagan-eye-pink-rose-from-my-garden.html

Foxgloves: Mystery and Magic in an English Garden

The sight of foxgloves growing in an English country garden always make me think of murder - and I suspect the same is true for anyone who enjoys the odd Agatha Christie.

The classic whodunnit writer loved popping off her victims with poison and, although cyanide was her top toxic tipple, digitalin - from the foxglove's Latin name digitalis - was still a firm favourite.

As murder mystery lovers will also know, extracts from foxgloves were at one time commonly used to treat heart conditions but, unless the dose was exactly right, could prove deadly.

However harmful foxgloves might be to humans and animals, they are life-savers for honey bees. The long, bell-like flowers evolved to guide bees in to collect the nectar and pollen, and also provide a safe haven for small insects in bad weather. Not only are they sheltered in little purple sleeping bags, they know other animals are unlikely to take a nibble on the toxic plant.

Magically, foxgloves are a plant of protection according to Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. Grow them in your garden to ward off unwanted influences.

Other names for foxgloves include Witches' Gloves, Dead Men's Bells and Fairy's Glove or Fairy Thimbles. According to superstitions, foxgloves are much loved by fairies, who use them as clothing - and according to some tales make magical gloves out of them that allow the wearer to sneak into human dwellings undetected. Apparently they even give these gloves to foxes to help them raid barns and chicken coops, and that is one of the suggestions behind the plant's name.

Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitalis
http://anneharrison.hubpages.com/hub/The-Poisons-of-Agatha-Christe
Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs.
http://www.ladyoftheearth.com/stories/flower-supers.txt
http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/f/foxglo30.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2013/05/plant-magic-solomons-seal-for.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/09/buddleia-for-bees-butterflies-and.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/04/red-tulips-for-love-and-protection.html

Signs of Spring in My Garden This Morning

When I popped out into my front garden this morning - to let the cat out and put an empty wine bottle into my recycling - I saw it was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining, the crocuses were in bloom and a bumblebee was buzzing from plant to plant. I couldn't resist taking these photos.

Working With the Sacred Bee – Sussex Workshop

A one-day workshop for those interested in deepening their relationship to honeybees is taking place in Polegate, Sussex, on Sunday 3rd June (Please note this is a day later than I originally posted as the organisers have rescheduled the date of the workshop).

Run by beekeepers, the workshop will cover practical ways of working with bees in a natural, respectful and sacred way. This will include handling and connecting with bees, spiritual bee traditions and practical spiritual techniques for working with bees. There will be an opportunity to engage with the bees.

This workshop will have a spiritual focus and is suited to those interested in taking up natural beekeeping, beekeepers who are interested in connecting more deeply with the spirit of the honeybee and also those interested and wishing to connect with bees in general.

Soup, salad and refreshments will be provided. Guests are welcome to bring other food to share if they wish to.

The event is being run by Clive and Philippa Hedger, who are beekeepers exploring a spiritual approach to beekeeping.

The workshop runs from 11am – 3pm and costs £16. Prior booking essential. For more information and to reserve a place, call 01323 489172 / 07905743272.

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/06/taste-of-honey.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/08/bees-and-hollyhocks.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/09/buddleia-for-bees-butterflies-and.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/08/festival-of-week-mead-day.html

Festival of the Week: Mead Day

In the USA, tomorrow is National Mead Day. Personally, I think mead is such a lovely drink it should be celebrated all over the world - so let's make Saturday, August 6 International Mead Day. And I'm also very happy to choose Mead Day as The Bad Witch's Festival of the Week!

I'm sure most people who read my blog are familiar with mead, but just in case you've never tried it, here is the description courtesy of Wikipedia:

"Mead ( /ˈmiːd/, meed; archaic and dialectal 'medd'; from Old English 'meodu'), also called honey wine, is an alcoholic beverage that is produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water... Depending on local traditions and specific recipes, it may be flavoured with spices, fruit, or hops... Mead is known from many sources of ancient history throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia, although archaeological evidence of it is ambiguous. Its origins are lost in prehistory."

Mead is probably the oldest alcoholic drink and has all sorts of magical connotations. It is supposed to be an aphrodisiac, boost fertility and, according to Norse folklore, the amount of mead a couple drank on their honeymoon (a term that allegedly comes from the tradition of drinking honey wine after a wedding) could help them choose the sex of their children.

Personally I think mead is a great drink for any celebration, not just weddings. Happy Mead Day!

The picture shows Ninemaidens Traditional Mead from Cornwall. You can order it via the website http://www.cornwallsolar.co.uk/ninemaidens/index.htm

Usual warning stuff: Do not drink if you are under age. Do not drink too much. Never drink and drive.

Links and previous related posts

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/events/mead-day

http://www.cornwallsolar.co.uk/ninemaidens/index.htm

http://www.lurgashall.co.uk/

http://www.fallenangelbrewery.com/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mead

http://www.shedrums.com/history_and_magic_of_mead.htm

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/06/taste-of-honey.html
http://www.kentbee.com/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/may/13/wildlife.endangeredspecies
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/03/first-bumblees-of-spring.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/08/bees-and-hollyhocks.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/09/buddleia-for-bees-butterflies-and.html
https://www.jenreviews.com/honey/

Bees and History: A Taste of Honey...

I took this photo of bees on a honeycomb back in the summer of 2009 at an open day of the Kent Bee-Keepers' Association.

One of the bee-keepers had a frame of honeycomb in a glass case, in which you could see the bees busily working. He kindly took it into the sunshine for me to photograph. I promised I would write about his bees - and then I didn't - until now. Oops.

Actually, I did start to write about bees and honey. I began to research the history of bee-keeping and look into the folklore associated with it. I found it was such a huge subject that I felt overwhelmed with the task of trying to summarise it in a single blog post. I made a start, but didn't get very far and it remained as an unfinished draft.

The other day, while I was looking through my old files, I came across the picture I'd taken and the research I'd started and decided that I should publish it on my blog as a short introduction to the subject - a little taste of honey rather than the whole jar!

The history of honey goes back a very long way. Archaeologists have found evidence that humans were eating honey in paleolithic times, and were probably doing so much earlier. Ancient man discovered that it was healthy and could also be made into alcohol - in fact fermented honey was probably the very first alcoholic drink.

According to The Sacred Bee in Ancient Times and Folklore by Hilda M Ransome, bees have been considered sacred ever since man discovered honey. The book says: "It is impossible to overestimate their value to man... He came to regard honey as a true 'giver of life'... He held the bee to be a creature of special sanctity connected with those things which seem to him most mysterious - birth, death, and reincarnation."

Folktales and customs relating to the importance of bees have arisen in cultures all over the world, including the belief that one should always tell the bees about important events, otherwise something could go wrong.

The bee was the symbol of Lower Egypt for thousands of years, and the Bible describes Egypt as a land "flowing with milk and honey". Honey production was an important industry in ancient Egypt. As well as being a popular food, physicians and magicians used honey for its healing properties.

Honey was important in funerary rites and sometimes the dead were preserved just in honey. One story tells of grave-robbers finding a large jar of honey in a tomb near the pyramids. They opened it and started eating, before noticing that the jar also contained the body of an infant.

Priests baked honeycakes to feed sacred animals in temples in Egypt and Greece. Sorcerers of the era also used beeswax to make images of creatures or people in order to perform magic on them.

The belief that a magician can heal or harm a living person by manipulating a wax image of them was common in Babylonia and India as well as Egypt. The practise passed from Egypt to ancient Greece and Rome and was used in many religious ceremonies. Witches today still sometimes use wax dolls, called "poppets", for sympathetic magic.

In Babylonia, offerings of wine, honey and oil were poured on temple foundations, honey was also a common offering in religious ceremonies and as part of rituals to exorcise demons.

Today, honey might be used less for religious purposes, but toast with butter and honey, and a cup of tea, is still the breakfast of the gods in my opinion. There are 44,000 bee-keepers in the UK, with about 240,000 hives. Although they produce 6,000 tones of honey per year, about 80% more than this is imported from abroad.

You can find out more about the Kent Bee-Keepers' Association, including details of events taking place this summer, at http://www.kentbee.com/

Links and previous related posts
The Sacred Bee in Ancient Times and (Dover Books on Anthropology and Folklore)
http://www.kentbee.com/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/may/13/wildlife.endangeredspecies
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/03/first-bumblees-of-spring.html

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/08/bees-and-hollyhocks.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/09/buddleia-for-bees-butterflies-and.html
https://www.jenreviews.com/honey/

Buddleia for bees, butterflies and breaking free

Buddleia - a tall plant with bright blooms that often grow on waste ground - has a special significance to me.

Many years ago, when I was quite new to paganism and had recently joined the Pagan Federation, I decided to go along to an open ritual. I hadn't been to many open rituals before and I was a bit unsure what to do, but the description said to bring along some flowers as an offering so I spent some time deciding what flowers to take.

Shop-bought flowers just didn't seem appropriate. Local wildflowers seemed a better choice, but I knew one should only pick flowers that aren't in any way endangered.

Growing in the car park behind the office I worked in was a huge plant with many tall stems and big purple flowers. I had no idea what it was, but seeing as there was so much of it - it was bursting through a crack in the concrete in vast quantities - I was pretty sure it couldn't be that rare. So I picked some.

Actually, that wasn't the first time I had noticed the plant. I noticed it often.

Although I didn't park a car in the car park - I couldn't afford to run a car - I used to chain my bicycle up there. On sunny days I also used to go and sit on a low wall in the car park during my coffee break. That huge purple plant was the one bright, wild and joyful thing in the entire dismal place.

It wasn't just the car park that was dismal; the place I worked was pretty dismal too - and my job. The work was dull and I was underpaid, undervalued and under appreciated. I was desperate to get out, but it was a time of recession and good jobs were few and far between. I needed the pittance I was earning to pay my bills, so I couldn't just tell my boss to get stuffed, even though I dreamed of doing so daily.

That plant inspired me and gave me hope. It didn't really look that strong, but it was driving a huge crack through the ground of the car park. It was breaking free, just like I would - one day.

So, I picked a bit and took it to the open ritual.

As I was putting it on the altar, someone who seemed to be a very knowledgeable witch said delightedly: "Oh, you have brought some buddleia! That's very appropriate - it is called the bombsite plant because it was the first plant to grow where bombs fell in London during the Blitz. It grows through cracks in concrete and brickwork and is great at breaking up old rubble. It attracts bees and butterflies too."

So, I learnt my plant was called buddleia - and how useful it was.

To many gardeners, buddleia is a weed - something that grows where it wants to, destroying property and hard to get rid of once it has taken root. But to me, buddleia is part of mother nature's secret army, breaking down barriers and giving hope of freedom.

Even though I have a much better job now, I still love to see buddleia growing in the city - particularly in unsightly car parks!

The photos show some buddleia growing on an industrial estate in south London (not anywhere I have ever worked, I should add).

Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddleja
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/michael.magee/awwls/01/125thedecayofacity.html
http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/forums/wildlife-gardening/23690-taking-cuttings-from-buddleia.html
http://butterflywebsite.com/articles/bgq/buddleia.htm
http://flowers-site.info/flowers-symbolism-associated-with-purple-tropical-flowers-2/
http://www.users.on.net/~arachne/bombsite.html
http://www.moonshadows-realm.co.uk/sab-esbat-correspondences.htm
http://pg.webring.com/cgi-bin/members/blog.cgi?userid=9970268710002&monthyear=Oct_2007

Bees and hollyhocks

My garden seems to be full of bees and hollyhocks at the moment - and I am delighted to have both. I love hollyhocks, with their huge, bright blooms. I am also very happy that so many bees seem to like my garden - particularly my hollyhocks - and are happily pollinating my flowers.

With bees in decline, I am always surprised when anyone suggests getting rid of a bees' nest, but recently I have heard a couple of people asking if they should get rid of nests on their property.

Being a lazy witch, I mostly let my garden go wild. Occasionally, however, I pay a gardener to mow my lawn and prune back my shrubs. When he did this a few weeks ago, he found a bees nest. I walked into the garden to find him prodding it with a stick.

"You've got a bees' nest," he said.
"Yes," I agreed.
"What do you want me to do about it?" he asked, poking it with the stick again.
"Leave it alone?" I suggested?
"But there's a lot of angry-looking bees coming out of it," he said, as some very angry-looking bees emerged from a hole in the nest.
"Perhaps if you leave it alone they won't be so angry," was really all I could think to say, in the circumstances.

I have had bees in my garden for a very long time and have never once been stung by one. But then I don't go around poking their nests with sticks.

Previous related posts:
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/03/first-bumblees-of-spring.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/05/stings-in-paradise.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/07/hollyhocks.html

The first bumblees of spring

Earlier this week I saw my first bumblee this spring, then a moment later I saw my second!

As the sun came out one morning, two huge bumblees decided it was time to buzz around my garden. I assume they must have been queen bumblebees, just woken up after their winter rest and eager to enjoy the warmth and the spring flowers.

I was delighted to see them because bumblebee have declined in numbers by about 50% in the past 30 years. Nobody really knows why, but it would be disastrous if they died out because they are vital for pollinating flowers and plants.

The queen hibernates over winter - usually under a tree root or in a hollow - and emerges in the spring looking for pollen and nectar to feed on. Indigenous wildflowers are her favourites, and you can encourage bumblebees by planting them in your garden and also by building a beebox for them to nest in.

According to folklore, bumblebees should not be able to fly because they are too heavy for their wings. For this reason, they have come to symbolise the idea that you can achieve things that seem impossible if you work hard enough. They represent hope, industry, fertility and achievement.

Bumblebees are also said to be able to regulate their body temperature, by shivering their bodies and moving their wings very quickly as well as having fluffy bodies that keep them warm. This has been likened to yogic abilities and given bumblebees the reputation of having great powers of control over mind, body and spirit.

They flit from flower to flower, but not without purpose, and teach us to go with the flow of life, but not let ourselves lose sight of our hopes and dreams.

The two fat ladies in my garden seemed to be enjoying their lunch very much and were buzzing from bloom to bloom so quickly I had trouble photographing them. The pictures on this page were the best I managed to capture, even though they are slightly out of focus and out of frame.

I hope they thrive.

Links:
http://www.open2.net/springwatch/bumblebees.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblebee
http://flying-insects.suite101.com/article.cfm/bumblebees_are_friendly_pollinators
http://www.goldeneaglerv.com/Symbolism.html
http://www.sayahda.com/cycle.htm
http://eyesbeloved.blogspot.com/2008/04/heart-of-bumble-bee.html
http://www.rainbowcrystal.com/power/poweranimals/bumblebee.html

Hollyhocks and high summer

Hollyhocks are a traditional sight in English gardens in summer, with their tall stalks and huge bell-shaped flowers. They can grow in a variety of soil types and will brighten up even a small back yard in a city home.

In the language of flowers, they are a symbol of fertility and fruitfulness because they produce hundreds of seeds, which they shed abundantly.

Although it is tempting to put a bunch of the flowers on my Lammas festival altar, on August 1, they are better left uncut in the garden as food for insects. Bees, butterflies and moth caterpillars love hollyhocks and it is good to give these endangered species all the help you can.

The hollyhock is an ancient plant - the remains of some were found in the grave of a 50,000-year-old Neanderthal man.

Hollyhocks have been used medicinally. Tea made with the flowers was at one time prescribed to combat diseases of the lungs and bladder, the leaves and flowers are sometimes added to skin lotion and in Tudor times hollyhock roots steeped in wine were thought to help prevent miscarriages. Hollyhock flowers can also be used to produce dye for fabric.

In tales, fairy folk are said to love hollyhocks and will take the blooms to wear as skirts. A recipe of 1660 says that a potion to enable you to see fairies can be made from hollyhock buds mixed with marigolds, wild thyme and young hazel buds.

Hollyhock flowers are edible, you can deep-fry them in batter or use them as an ingredient in cakes. A good cookery book on the subject is Cooking with Flowers by Jekka McVicar and Derek St Romaine, which costs £9.99 from Amazon.

Always seek expert advice before using herbal remedies.

Links:
www.englishplants.co.uk/hock.html
www.cookingindex.com/recipes/14218/wedding-cake-layers.htm
www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/main.jhtml?xml=/gardening/2007/07/24/garden-bunny-cooking-flowers124.xml
www.fairylandtrust.org/fairyplaces.html
www.new-age.co.uk/flower-language.htm

www.allfiberarts.com/library/howto/ht01/how_dye_hollyhocks.htm
www.marthastewart.com/alcea-rosea-outhouse

The stings in paradise

The sun is shining in a blue sky, in my garden the grass and leaves are a lush verdant, white petals are falling like soft confetti from my blossoming apple tree and the scent of flowers wafts gently on a warm breeze.

The past week of glorious weather has been wonderful after our drab, wet spring. I feel as though a few days of summer have transported me to a fairyland paradise - or perhaps a scene from an old Timotei advert.

Yet every paradise has its hidden stings - and there are plenty of those to be found in my garden. I am itching all over from gnat bites and squadrons of wasps are hovering in the air, just waiting for the chance to strike.

Bees and wasps, of course, look rather similar. You can easily tell them apart if you get up close - bees are furrier and have pollen baskets on their back legs - but who really wants to get up that close unless they have to?

Wasps are generally seen as vicious thugs. They can sting repeatedly, unlike bees, which leave their stinger stuck in their victim once they have attacked. Wasps are easily angered and will not hesitate to sting if they feel like it. It is easy to understand why people would want to destroy every wasps' nest they find and, if possible, eradicate them from our lovely gardens.

But wasps do hold a valuable place in ecology. They kill a huge number of flies and other bugs. This helps prevent plagues of insects, which could be occur this year because mosquitoes, midges and similar pests flourish in the kind of warm, damp weather we have had recently. Wasps are also one of the few natural predators of the bug that causes Dutch elm disease.

It is easy to tell the difference between a wasps' nest and a bees' nest. Wasps build their nests out of papery wood pulp, whereas bees construct their nests out of wax. If you see a nest, do not smash it up or try to move it - that will only anger the wasps. Avoid spraying chemical insect killers over it too, that will probably not kill the wasps but can be harmful to other creatures. If possible, just leave the nest where it is and remember that those vicious wasps are probably helping nature more than us vicious humans.

There are quite a few natural insect repellents. Citronella is an essential oil that is commonly used to deter insects. Lavender oil also repels insects and can help reduce mild swellings from mosquito bites or wasp stings. Geranium leaves are also reputed to be good for wasp stings. If you are stung by a bee, wasp or other insect and experience more than a mild irritation you should seek medical advice from a GP or casualty department or call NHS Direct on 08454647.

For more information:
http://www.scambs.gov.uk/environment/pestsandnuisance/insectpests/wasps.htm
http://www.scambs.gov.uk/Environment/Pestsandnuisance/InsectPests/bees.htm
http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th4.htm
http://www.virginmedia.com/homefamily/health/allergies/beestings.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citronella_oil
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavender_oil
http://www.oldtimeremedies.co.uk/2008/05/leaves-of-geranium-good-for-bee-or-wasp.html