Hares, Fledglings and the June Flower Gap for Bees

As usual, many of our local fields have been planted with wheat this year, and walking through them on the footpaths in early summer is like walking through long, thick grass.  Because the fields are sprayed so regularly, I always assume there's no wildlife here at all, and any wildlife about is found in the surrounding hedges and field margins (or flying high above). But a couple of weeks ago all this changed, because I came across a couple of Hares.

I love Hares; so I was thrilled to see them.  They ran along the field separately and then one disappeared.  But the other stayed around long enough for me to watch it for a while. I was walking Harry and he was kept firmly on a close lead (although, to be honest, he didn't seem that interested). The Hare didn't let me get too close, and after watching it for some minutes, I left it in peace.

I don't know whether the Hares will stay in these fields or move on - and I'm also worried for them, because they have too many predators. The worst predators are two-legged kind, and there are plenty of those around looking for them. I believe it's long overdue for these wonderful creatures to have the protection in law that they deserve.

Elsewhere the Bluebells have faded now, and at the woodland edge they've now been replaced by Yellow Archangel...

I'm still hoping to see more species of butterfly, but at the moment I'm mainly seeing the 'whites'...

Green-Veined White

Small White

...although this lovely Holly Blue did settle outside the backdoor for a while...

I've been working with Mum and Dad in their garden, and noticed that two young Robins are coming to the feeders...

I'm starting to see more fledglings and I'm expecting the Blue Tits to leave the boxes any day now.  Mum and Dad have a nest camera on a box - and the Blue Tits there already have all their blue and yellow feathers.  They seem raring to go, but the adult birds look a bit scruffy and completely shattered after all that feeding.  I'm waiting for the moment when the boldest chick begins to stick its head out of the box to have a look at the outside world.

The 'June Gap'

The 'June Gap' is a time when the bees may have difficulty foraging because of a lack of flowering plants. The blossom from the fruit trees and the spring flowers have finished (and so has the bee-banquet of oilseed rape) -  and the mid-summer garden flowers have yet to bloom. Meanwhile, in the hives, the bees have been steadily building up and the colonies are approaching their peak numbers, so a shortage of pollen and nectar coming in will naturally be a problem.  Many beekeepers will give their bees some food during this period (a mixture of sugar and water) to prevent possible starvation. All beekeepers will monitor their colonies closely to see if the 'June Gap' will be a problem for them in their area.

I've always tried to bear the 'June Gap' in mind when planting a wildlife-friendly garden on the smallholding. This year, of course, everything is late or flowering together so it's difficult to work out when any gap in forage will take place.  When I was gardening in Mum and Dad's garden, where I keep one of my beehives, the bees found plenty of forage, because my parents have deliberately planted for them.

My honeybees are loving Mum's Limnanthes Douglasii (Poached Egg Plant).  I've planted this, too, in my garden...

Instead of pulling the broccoli up, Dad has left this to flower and the bumblebees and honeybees are all over it (there's a busy flightpath between these flowers and the beehive).

On the smallholding I've come across (what I believe) is a Red Mason Bee nest (or nests) in one of a pair of old carriage lamps (once owned by my grandfather) and now placed outside our summer house...

Red Mason Bees are solitary bees. I don't know whether there are one or two nests (there seem to be different entrance and exit areas).

Finally, we finished our cold frame several weeks ago after putting in the glass and then two chains to hold it open.  The chains attach to a nail on each side of the frame to hold the roof at a number of angles...

The tomatoes and cucumbers have been planted out in the greenhouse and all the veg seeds have been sown.  After the cold spring, I feel as though I'm actually getting on top of the gardening jobs at last.