Early Nectar

Another trip to the nursery for more peat free mulch - I am going a bit mulch crazy.

One side of the nursery is bordered by a fantastic high hedge. It is festooned with flowers. Lots of people must have been asking what it is (I’ve not seen it’s like anywhere else). A hand written sign attached to the end of the hedge, at the nursery entrance, informs that it is “prunus cerasifera pissardii”, the purple leaved cherry plum tree. Not only is it a beauty, but it is providing valuable nectar for the queen bumblebee in the image.

She was difficult to photograph - eight foot up and moving quickly from flower to flower. She needs to start her small colony and is evidently in a hurry.