Wednesday 18 May 2016

In May... Orchids, Bees and Lambs


Green-winged orchids have been flowering in a local meadow. At first glance, the meadow looks as if there's only grass growing there.  But on closer inspection, there's a purple sheen over the grass. These are the orchids.

When I wandered through the meadow last week, I wanted to see if they were green-winged orchids (anacamptis morio) rather than early-purple orchids (orchis mascula - also flowering now). I did this by looking at the leaves. The leaves of the green-winged orchids don't have the blotches that are found on the leaves of the early-purple orchids. The petals are different, too. The green-winged orchid has a 'hood' with a pattern of lines, like veins.


The green-winged orchid grows in traditional meadows and grassland, and as there isn't much of that around here now, they're becoming less common. Fortunately, there are some local initiatives to encourage them, so hopefully these beautiful flowers will continue to grow in this part of the world.

There were also bees buzzing in the meadow, but I think most of my honeybees are still on the oilseed rape. Some of the bees, though, are bringing in pollen that could be hawthorn.


I can see hawthorn flowering everywhere at the moment, but I have mixed feelings about the smell of it. I like that it reminds me of this time of year (and it's also known as the May Tree) but it's not the most pleasant smell in the world. In the Middle Ages, it was thought that this blossom smelled like the Great Plague and that bringing it into the house would bring illness and death. But Medieval folk must have also loved hawthorn as it was at the heart of May Day celebrations (maypoles were made of it, the green man had a wreath of it).

I love hawthorn, too.  It's a beautiful, native tree and great for wildlife, although it's an unreliable source of bee-food. Apparently, the weather conditions have to be right for the bees to take something from it.

My bees are also on the horse chestnut. The lovely, white candles are out and the bees are bringing in a brick-red pollen from them, which looks quite striking in the comb.


The horse chestnut candles are fascinating; as the flower develops a yellow blotch on the lower petals changes colour from orange to pink. When the flower has been pollinated the blotch turns red, and as bees can't see the colour red, they are no longer attracted to the flower (in other words, it's a signal from the flower to the bee that it's already been pollinated).

We have many, mature horse chestnuts around us here, and we also planted one on the smallholding about sixteen years ago. Although the horse chestnut isn't native (and was introduced to the UK in the seventeenth century), I think it's a wonderful addition to the countryside.

Also on the smallholding, here are a couple of the sights I've enjoyed this May...
Geum in flower

Orange tip butterflies - this is a female
And the cuckoos have returned. That is, I've heard cuckoos but not seen one on the smallholding. There are (it seems) two cuckoos calling around here this spring, but they're not close, and now all the leaves have come out they're hidden in the trees anyway. So the only photo I've been able to take is of a distant one calling...


And finally, our lambs are growing up fast. We visited the breeder not long ago to see how they were getting on.  It won't be long until they'll join our small flock where - if they're like their Ryeland cousins - they won't stop eating.  I've never seen anything like it.  The Suffolks and the Cheviot haven't eaten half as much, but our two Ryelands are always eating  When we visited the breeder, three of the lambs came up to her van at once looking for food...


Three again watching my camera (is it food?!)


And a last, hopeful stare...

We should be bringing the lambs home in about a month. I don't think we'll have a problem with long grass this year!

30 comments:

  1. Dear Wendy - those lambs are so appealing with their chunky little bodies and cute faces - I have the impression that there are many more orchids growing in our meadows and countryside than there were when I was a child. I remember that I used to get very excited if I happened to discover one, but now they seem to flourish in abundance.

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    1. That is good to hear about the orchids. Orchids flowering in certain meadows and on reserves are certainly protected here, but sadly so many get lost outside protected areas. Not long ago there were some flowering in my local community woodland, but the volunteers managing it just had the thought of cutting down all long grass for dog walkers. So they cut the orchids down. They just hadn't seen the orchids as special.

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  2. What a lovely post, I didn't know that about the horse chestnut tree. My son planted a conker many years back, and it is happley growing in a tub up the side of the house, this is the first year it has flowered. The Lamb's are so cute, Hawthorn just starting to blossom here but just over this last week everything seems to have turned green and looking very lush. Pleased the bees are doing OK.
    Amanda xx

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    1. There is something exciting about planting a conker (or acorn) and seeing the tree grow from it. The horse chestnut we planted here was the first tree we planted and so it is special. We've watched it grow and flower for the first time.
      The bees are doing OK, thanks. Fortunately, they don't seem to be interested in swarming yet!

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  3. Your little lambs are gorgeous and it sounds as if they will keep your grass down if they are constantly eating. I love their inquisitve litle faces. I'd love to hear a cuckoo in the wild again. They remind me of my childhood in the small vilage I grew up in. We would hear them all the time at this time year. It's funny how things you took for granted are now such precious and rare things. Sign of the times. I enjoyed your post and have learnt something new about both Horse Chestnut trees and bees:)

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    1. I have now found out that this breed of sheep is greedy. I just assumed that all breeds had the same appetite!
      I agree about the cuckoo. I never thought it would become difficult to hear in spring either.

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  4. A wonderful and interesting post Wendy and great photos :) The lambs are so cute and appealing - I bet you can't wait to bring them home! I love Hawthorn too but am also not over keen on the smell of the flowers! Horse Chestnuts are flowering round here too now - such beautiful flowers.

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    1. I love the sight of hawthorn because of the time of year, but there is something really off-putting about the smell. I'm not surprised it has those traditional associations.
      We are looking forward to the lambs coming here, but they'll be our last for a while. The flock will be the right size.

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  5. Orchids are such interesting flowers aren't they and thank you for the info about Green-winged Orchids. I will be keeping an eye out for them, especially as the Early Purple Orchids have now come out around the village :-)

    It is interesting to read about the differences between our respective areas, the flowers and whatnot are definitely a week or two ahead of us up here, though both Mayblossom and Horse Chestnut candles are now starting to flower here and there. This is a wonderful time of year isn't it :-)

    Love the photo of the Cuckoo as well :-)

    Hope you are well and my kindest regards :-)

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    1. I find the different timings across the country fascinating as well. Our hawthorn blossom and horse chestnut candles are probably at their peak flowering now (although I'm sure the horse chestnut candles were later this year).
      I'm tempted to go to the coast to see cuckoos now. They're easier to spot there. They're just so hidden by the trees around me now.
      Hope you're well too and have a good week.

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  6. It's amazing how the bees and horse chestnuts work together for their mutual benefit. Everything's interconnected! Those brown Ryeland faces with the white muzzles are very appealing. Maybe they eat so much to fuel all that cuteness.

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    1. The relationship between bees and flowers does show how fascinating nature is, doesn't it? I've learnt so much about it since I became a beekeeper.
      The Ryelands are much cuter than our other sheep, it's true, but the Ryelands we have are also becoming very round!

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  7. I love your post and the pictures are beautiful.I have never seen a cuckoo! Great shot.Not heard any either,but off to the Dales and the Lakes next week,so maybe I will be in luck.:)

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    1. I hope you see a cuckoo, Shazza. It is great to see one actually calling.
      Have a lovely time in the Dales and Lakes.

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  8. I'm glad you have cuckoos. I've never heard one.

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  9. That is a shame, Emily. I hope you do hear one soon.

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  10. We heard a cuckoo down here for the first time this week. It can't have stayed around because I haven't heard it since, but it was very close at the time. Love your lambs. What fun you will have with them!

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    1. It will be fun watching the lambs when they first arrive. They'll certainly liven the older sheep up a bit! I just wish the Ryelands would switch from the grass to the nettles once in a while and keep these under control.

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  11. Gorgeous orchids. Those Ryelands are ridiculously cute, if voracious. Maybe the former is to ensure they get to be greedy without punishment?!

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    1. I think you have it, Janet! They get away with anything. In winter, when I give the sheep extra food, the Ryelands always wanted more - and they got it, too.

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  12. Those lambs are so cute! How fun to have little orchids popping up in the grass. Nature is so cleverly designed to have a color change to send the pollinators elsewhere. :o)

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    1. The relationship between bees and flowers is amazing. I read today that we have the range of coloured flowers because of pollination i.e bees - without the pollinators we wouldn't have the colour. All our flowers would be green.

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  13. Your lambs already look full of fun and they seem to enjoy having their picture taken! I love horse chestnut trees especially in the spring and autumn. We used to have an avenue on our street when I was a child. Sarah x

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    1. The lambs are very friendly and are used to people. Our first sheep, before we had Ryelands, weren't (because they came from a much larger flock) and it did take us a while to win them over. I think the Ryelands will do anything for food!

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  14. I did enjoy learning a little more about orchids and am pleased to hear they are getting a little help. I always remember my mother telling me that bluebells were unlucky when brought indoors...I think that had something to do with a plaque smell too.Oh, what lovely pics of the horse chestnut, I really must check mine out, how interesting to hear that the flowers signal in that way to the bees, I had no idea!
    Love your orange tip, and the elusive cuckoo, I hear them, but never see them!

    Ooooohhhhh....LOVING your lambs!! Can't wait to hear more!!! Fab post, as always, a real pleasure to visit!xx

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    1. Orange tips are one of my favourite butterflies although they disappear by mid summer, of course. As will the cuckoo - probably without me getting a better photo! I've not heard them so much over the past few days so I wonder if they are already about to go back to Africa. I will miss them.

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  15. A fellow beekeeper, thank you for commenting on my blog. Yes it's been ages, I'm just now getting caught up. Your flowers look beautiful and I just love this time of the year with the bees. Before it gets too hot to suit up, but you have to in order to get that honey! Those lambs are so cute! I can't wait to see the adventures you have with them.

    Cindy Bee

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    1. Hello Cindy and thanks for visiting! I agree about enjoying this time of year with the bees, when it's still early in the season. My bees have a better temper now; later on they're plagued by wasps and defending their honey, so they're not so sweet!

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  16. Something that I really noticed when I was in England was the Hawthorn blossom absolutely eveerywhere! The countryside looked really pretty, especially with the lovely views from the hills in Devon and Somerset. I had never thought about it before because we have Hawthorn here, but only the odd tree/bush here and there. Now I wish there was more of it!

    The cuckoo photo is amazing given that they are really hard to spot. And that Orange Tip shot is fab. Love those fat little lambs too! :-)

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    1. That it interesting about the hawthorn. It is everywhere here. There must be a reason why it's been planted here so much and not in France.
      The lambs are fat and will get fatter! Right now last year's still have their coats on so they do look large anyway. When we shear them shortly we'll be able to tell exactly how fat they are!

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