Green Manure

Until yesterday I hadn't heard this term or studied this plant. I was grateful to TonyG for identifying it is as Phacelia tanacetifolia.

It produces high quality nectar and pollen which is great news for our dwindling honey bee population. Certainly the area was filled with bumble bees and butterflies and I saw one honey bee, but that's typical. I live within 1/4 mile from our own bee hives, and even closer to someone else's hives, I very rarely see honey bees in the village.

Even when this plant dies, it provides a valuable green manure so obviously it makes sense to sow this crop around the perimeter of a field where is is difficult to harvest the main crop, which, in this case, was wheat.

No wonder I couldn't find it in any of my British Wild Flower books!

I thought a macro shot, which is my usual way of blipping flowers, would be good today as yesterday I had been amazed by the sight and had wanted to give the over-view.