Drunk and disorderly

This bee appears to be literally falling out of the Himalayan Balsam flower, drunk on nectar and weighed down by pollen. After all, it’s probably pretty difficult to reverse out of its hidden recesses with a degree of dignity, so this slither, wobble and attempted ‘nothing-to-see-here’ nonchalance is unlikely to convince. 

He’s one of many others, buzzing in and out of these bountiful speakeasies. I’m by the sea, but walking by the river Dulas as it makes its final journey to the ocean, and it’s on the river bank I find these flower . It’s not a favourite spot, but today I really don’t know where  I want to be, and it’s one of the few ‘beaches’ in the area that we can rely in to be fairly quiet. 

I’m sure I must have come across this flower before, but if I have I fail to recognise it. I find its bonnet-like flowers reminiscent of more exotic orchids, and it’s only after my identification search at home that I come to realise it is one of our most invasive plants, destroying native habitat. So disappointing…..