Young shoots of Korean clematis (Clematis serratifolia) are reportedly occasionally eaten cooked in the Far East, akin to the commonly eaten shoots of old man’s beard / tysk […]
Brassica / Pollinators
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Orange tip and seed saving
Growing your own seed often has a positive impact on pollinating insects as here with a female orange tip butterfly (aurorasommerfugl) sitting on flowers of mustard greens / […]
Biodiversity / Butterflies and moths / Pollinators
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Chiffchaff and Willow
My interest in recording the incredible diversity of insects in my 40 year old edible forest garden lead to a much better understanding of the importance of different […]
Bees / Butterflies and moths / Pollinators
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Two spring signs
This spring sign today went unnoticed for many years, one of many moth species that has been registered feeding on Salix caprea (goat willow / selje) in spring, […]
Climbers / Edientomental / Pollinators
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Old Man’s Beard
Clematis vitalba (old man’s beard / tysk klematis) is an important wild edible in Italy (young shoots which must be cooked) and also one of the most attractive […]
Edimentals / Perennial vegetables / Pollinators
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Flowering Aster scaber
September is the month when several Asteraceae are in flower including one of my favourite perennial vegetables and edimentals Aster scaber (yes, I know it’s officially Doellingeria scabra) […]
Butterflies and moths / Pollinators
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Buddleja davidii
One of the few plants in my garden which isn’t edible is my large Buddleja davidii (butterfly bush / sommerfuglbusk), a wonderful entomental (loved by insects and an […]
Edientomental / Edimentals / Food / Pollinators
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Sweet Gigas stalks
Somebody asked me a few days ago if one could eat Angelica gigas (Korean Angelica) as you can Angelica archangelica (see my book Around the World in 80 […]
Insects / Pollinators
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Cuckoo wasp in the garden!
I found the cuckoo wasp / rødgjøkveps in the garden today – Vespula austriaca. It parasitizes the red wasp / rødveps (Vespula rufa) by occupying its nest. V. […]
Birds / Pollinators
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Burdock for goldfinches
I’ve written a series of articles in 3 parts “Fuglevennlige planter i hagen” (Bird friendly plants in the garden) for the magazine of our national bird society (NOF, […]
Butterflies and moths / Pollinators
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Admirals on Monarda
Monardas are autumn flowering here and one of the best plant genera for pollinating insects at this time of year, including bumble bees and butterflies. Over the last […]
Butterflies and moths / Pollinators
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Painted lady on teasle
The first painted lady (tistelsommerfugl) of the year in the garden (2 years since the last one during the 2019 invasion year). On teasle / kardeborre (Dipsacus). Post […]
Edientomental / Perennial vegetables / Pollinators
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Dystaenia heaven
Along with many members of the Apiaceae (carrot family / umbellifers) the flowers of Dystaenia takesimana (Giant Ulleung Celery) are heaven for pollinators like hoverflies (blomsterfluer).These great edi-ento-mentals […]
Pollinators
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Temnostoma vespiforme
Over the last couple of years I’ve been trying to document as much as possible of the incredible diversity of insects and spiders that are living in The […]
Bees / Pollinators
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No shortage of bumblebees
Several species of bumblebee were queuing up for a turn on the Allium pskemense x cepa hybrid in the garden this afternoon: Post Views: 135
Beetles / Insects / Pollinators
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Bee beetle
One of my favourite insects is the bee beetle / humlebille (Trichius fasciatus). This morning I saw it on one of my favourite onions victory onion / seiersløk […]
Climbers / Perennial vegetables / Pollinators
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First seed saved for 2021
You’ll find old man’s beard or tysk klematis in Norwegian (Clematis vitalba) in Italian foraging books as the young cooked shoots are popular there in spring (they shouldn’t […]
Edientomental / Edimentals / Onions / Pollinators
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Keeled garlic, a useful winter Allium and edimental in summer
There are Allium species that can be harvested year round in the garden, notably nodding onion / Norw:prærieløk (Allium cernuum) which I’ve blogged about before. In autumn, new […]
Fruit / Pollinators
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Last berries and pollinators
I thought the berry season was over with the frosts at the end of October, but with the air temperature in November so far above 0c I was […]
Butterflies and moths / Edientomental / Pollinators
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Buddleja Butterflies
By chance, the best two plants in the garden for pollinating insects in late summer are growing together in the garden. The Clematis vitalba (old man’s beard / […]
Bees / Butterflies and moths / Pollinators
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Unusual Pollinators
A dark green fritillary (aglaya perlemorvinge) and my second red-tailed bumlebee (steinhumle) on my Buddleja and Clematis vitalba (old man’s beard….not me!) Post Views: 131
Edientomental / Edimentals / Insects / Pollinators
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Bee beetle on the first Sanguisorba flower
It’s always nice to spot a bee beetle / humlebille (Trichius fasciatus) in the garden. I discovered this one on the first Sanguisorba flower of the year! Post […]
Bees / Berries / Pollinators / Snow
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Bumble bee in snow
I didn’t expect to find a bumble bee feeding first thing this morning but I found this Bombus hypnorum (tree bumblebee/trehumle) busy visiting flowers of Ribes divaricatum and […]
Butterflies and moths / Hoverfly / Insects / Pollinators
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Early Autumn Pollinators
With only a few inflorescences left on my Buddleja plants, the red admiral and painted lady (tistelsommerfugl) butterflies are transferring their attentions to other flowers in the garden, […]
Perennial vegetables / Pollinators
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Crazy about Udo
Crazy about Udo (Aralia cordata)….also these hoverflies and wasps… Post Views: 74