So the lockdown weeks are tentatively coming to an end as spring morphs into summer and 2020 marches on. Social distancing has become the new normal and probably will be for sometime to come. As we learn more and more about the novel coronavirus causing so much pain and heartache throughout the world, nature and the natural world has been a source of inspiration and comfort to many, including me. Dealing with a global pandemic so soon after suffering a close family bereavement (and a subsequent inquest) has certainly taken its toll, but photography and film making has been my salvation when I’ve not been working from home.
In my garden, birds have nested, chicks have fledged and hopefully survived, flowers like aquilegia have come and gone, and the buddleia at the bottom of my garden has started to flower. Predictably, this has brought the expected influx of butterflies into the garden, with Small Tortoiseshells, Small Whites and the odd Orange Tip already visiting.
The bumblebees have arrived and also prefer the buddleia and (I have noticed) other purple flowers too. Installing a bee hotel is going to be my next garden project for attracting solitary bees as well.
I’d never really taken much notice of how many different bumblebees there are in my garden until the start of the lockdown weeks, and I’m looking forward to learning more about them as the summer progresses. I think that would make a good subject for my next DiskayTV film, so watch this space….
In the meantime, the pandemic isn’t over yet, so #staysafe everyone and enjoy the natural world around you.
