Bumblebees and stinging nettle puzzle

Nettles and bees

Common Carder bumblebees are still busy collecting pollen from Hebe bushes 

and white deadnettles. 



In the late September wind, I watched common carder bees struggling to reach the flowers. which were surrounded by stinging nettles as they often are.
  One worker carder bee that was blown off-course onto a nettle leaf and buzzed in a way that sounded angry.

Can bumblebees feel nettle stings?

It seems unlikely that the bee was stung through its cuticle. 

 But could it have activated the nettle sting and then, via its antennae, would it have tasted the irritating contents of formic acid, histamine and acetal choline released by the nettle?

Or was it simply upset by the wind?

Should I be surprised? Bumblebees are active

September bumblebees

White-tailed bumblebees are still collecting pollen, 

Here's a white-tailed bumble on a windy day on 18th September, feeding on an evergreen Hebe shrub, [sapphire variety] in a park in Bristol:

Around mid-September I expected queen white-tailed bumblebees to be seeking a quiet underground tunnel to overwinter. In fact I photographed a queen bee doing exactly that back in August. 

But this worker bee indicates otherwise.

She's carrying a pollen basket, signifying that she's still collecting pollen for her colony. After many mild winters and speculation about global warming maybe I shouldn't be surprised at this even on mild days in October. 

I guess you're still going to find bumblebees if you look in October and November. 

But if you do see one, is it a queen about to hibernate, a lone survivor or a worker and member of a persistently active colony?

Menawhile here's a common carder been on white deadnettle in the same park

The strong wind was causing this bee considerable problems.

And here's a common carder bee feeding on a Fuchsia in a Bristol garden after 5pm. 

That's a long day's work.

Bumblebee sightings

Where bumblebees go in September

Here in Gloucestershire there are two places where you can reliably find bumblebees, well OK after borage, teasel, Corydalis, laurel and Buddleia...

  In gardens around here an annual that returns every year is popular with white-tailed bumblebees: Sedum

It's easy to grow and would fit into a small space like a car port.

Out in the countryside 

there seems to be a lot of unclaimed nectar among the white and red clover, trefoil and vetches which are still in flower. 

Is it too windy out in the fallow strips beside the ploughed fields?

The place where I can reliably find bees is by the stream where the mint grows.

Do bumblebees fix on just one source of nectar? 

Sometimes bees can be seen flying from one flower to another of the same species, usually starting from the bottom and working there way upwards. 

Do they overlook other possible sources in a bid to save time? 

Just occasionally I see a bee darting from teasel to corydalis to cranesbill to take tiny sips. 

Is this a sign of desperation due to falling nectar production in late summer?

There are some tree bumblebees around; I just haven't been able to catch one on camera. 

I am trying to find bees other than common carder bees and white-tailed bumblebees.

Bumblebees: using all the senses

Sight, sound and smell are all needed 

 to track down bumblebees in September. 

On windy days like today bee flight can seem erratic. Even if you catch sight of a bee it can rapidly disappear.
   Listening to the buzz may help you to tell wasps, flies and bumblebees apart. The tone of a bumblebee is deeper and by listening carefully you can work out the bee's speed and direction. There are probably differences in tone between bumblebees that would help you identify which bee it is.
  Smell is helpful too in noticing when flowers are producing nectar. Stand by a fruiting ivy in September and you can smell the nectar on the leeward side [the opposite side to the wind].
Yellow Corydalis is a self-sown plant [also known as a weed] attracting bees during mild weather in mid-September:

On mild windy days, yellow corydalis which grows beside walls offers a source of nectar that's less blown about.

The other reliable fall back for bumblebees in rain is white deadnettle:

which seems to provide nectar even on windy and wet days:

Maybe it's more productive than clover and scabious which don't seem to be visited as often in September.

Best time for bees

The best time to watch bumblebees

When's the best time to watch bumblebees in September? Is it on sunny mornings? I've noticed that white-tailed bumblebees and common carder bees seem active at 8am when the sun's shining.

  In my garden, it's the self sown weeds that are attracting the bumblebees at the moment:

Evening primrose

Sweet Pea

Teasel

Do Bees behave differently in September?

This morning I watched a white-tailed bumblebee racing from one evening primrose flower to another without collecting nectar or pollen, almost bumping into a carder bee that was leaving a flower, revisiting flowers it had just rejected, flying towards other plants with flowers but rapidly flying onwards. She gave the impression of being desparate for a fix of sugar-containing nectar.

  I wondered if the combination of warm sun, cool shade and less nectar was affecting her behaviour; the available nectar-containing flowers seem to have been well visited by bees and hoverflies.

  On the other hand I watched a white-tailed worker get caught up in a strand of spider's web and after being held for a few seconds she flew strongly enough to free herself.

A carder bee drinking from a blue sow-thistle

Carder bees will chase off common blue butterflies and small coppers who were feeding on white clover:

Clover is about the only nectar-producing flower in grass meadows around here.

September bumblebees

Where do bumblebees go in September?

You don't see as many bumblebees in late summer but they haven't all disappeared. 

Where to look?

  4 places you could try

1 Ivy

IVY is in fruit throughout September so you could look there but just at the moment wasps and hoverflies seem to dominate:

There are some bumblebees,

 I wonder if wasps are competing with bees and winning, though I think the balance may change as wasps die back in autumn.

2 Garden and wasteland flowers: 

such as the ever abundant Buddleia 

And lavendar

  But also wasteland plants like green alkanet and white deadnettle that are attracting common carder bees:

And of course garden centres and open gardens. 

                                     3 Beside streams:

The much maligned alien plant which aggressively colonises streams and rivers.  In Somerset this week, this is one of the best places to look: the tallest annual in Britain has established a niche: Himalayan Balsam, Impatiens glandulifera

 It may be a musty-smelling invader that flings its seeds explosively up to 4 metres through the air but it's an ideal source of nectar.
In Somerset you find Common carder bees and white-tailed bumblebees climbing inside the policeman helmet-shaped flowers. 

                                     4 In lawns and in the undergrowth:
You might look in the undergrowth, where queen bees are looking for places to hibernate.

Here's a white-tailed queen bumblebee burrowing a hole in a lawn in Somerset.

Natural mindfulness, surprise and curiosity.

I've been thinking that natural mindfulness implies surprise and curiosity. 

Curiosity: having a question in mind provides me with a reason to be observant. It always seems to lead me to something that surprises me. 

Here are some examples of questions that I put to myself when I go out walking.

What's different today?

It could be the wind, the sky, the time of day, the angle of the sun, the signs of the approaching season, the mood of the birds or colours that stand out. Then I check to see if any of these change while I'm walking.

What colours can I see?

One question a painter asks is: 'where is the reddest red?' I try to work systematically through the rainbow but today I found the reddest object near the end of the walk. 

I'm sure I wouldn't have noticed this toadstool if I hadn't been looking for colours.

What's the smallest beauty I can find in nature?

In summer it's possible to do a mini safari by lying on the grass and crawling along to see the smallest plants and creatures at work. In winter it's about studying the bark of trees and fallen twigs to look for shapes and colours in the forest of mosses and lichens. 

What patterns can I see in the plants?

Plants need light, nutrients and water so they congregate where these are most suited for growth. I like to see epiphytes, plants that grow on other plants: ivy and clematis on trees, moss and lichen on stone. Trees have differing patterns according to whether they've grown in thick forest: tall and thin and curving up seeking the light or out in the hedgerows: wide and spreading like specimen trees. Even in winter it's possible to recognise trees: ashes have keys, beech saplings hold their leaves all winter.

Do you have questions that you put when you're out walking?

Natural Mindfulness

What is natural mindfulness? 

I like the phrase: 'Letting nature in'. For me, there is always something which the natural world can show us that is immediately valuable in our lives. Our unconscious is able to present that to us through our mind, body or feelings. But we need somehow to practise stepping back from everyday concerns: regrets about the past or anxiety over the future, in order to be open to this message.

How can a guide facilitate natural mindfulness? 

  [my personal view]

• By slowing down. there's no hurry in mindfulness. There is something about moving slowly through the countryside that renews our connection to the natural world. Way back in time, moving through the landscape was vital to our survival. If we spend too long indoors we miss out on this experience.
• By being in a calm, timely state of mind, body and feelings. Mental, physical and emotional pains can seem overwhelming but on a wintry day in the Cotswold countryside you have to pay attention to where you're putting your feet. But it's more than distraction: it is listening for the underlying message.
• By being curious. Curiosity, asking questions takes us to new learning. It's been said: 'Beginner's mind, Zen mind'. 
• So is a guide an expert? No. The most naive questions that a beginner could ask, such as: 'Why is the sky blue?' experts struggle to answer. A guide is not an expert, he or she is a facilitator, encouraging the conditions for natural insights to come for every person on a walk.
• Do I need to study nature in order to benefit? No. Use your favourite way of 'being in the present' going beyond overthinking, customary body sensations and well-worn emotional paths: meditation, centring, relaxation or creative visualisation and [I believe] you will find that you are more than your mind, body and feelings. Some people call this disidentifying
• Does mindfulness take a lot of effort? If you discover that this state of mind is useful, your unconscious will practise it often and enable you to use it when you need it most.
• Is it like a nature walk? It's what you make it. Maybe a wilderness experience is part of it, maybe noticing the particular season, time of day and seeing, hearing or feeling something special to that particular time and place.

Mindful Walks in Winter 2: Seeing a hawk

Sparrow hawks are common in Britain but likely to be overlooked 

because they hunt by silently gliding low over hedgerows looking to flush out small birds. They're not as prominent as kestrels that hover, Kites that hunt together and buzzards that circle and call noisily. So here are some ways to maximise your chances of seeing a sparrow hawk. 

Mindful walking for me is about being observant, listening, seeing and feeling alive. It doesn't matter whether I see the bird I'm looking out for but if I do I feel elated. 
I feel alive.

Walk outside

Walking anywhere is likely to disturb hawks from their observation posts on the roof of a house, the top of a telegraph pole or tall tree. Sparrowhawks can be seen around suburban gardens, taking advantage of the birds that feed at bird tables. In winter trees provide little cover so their look out posts are much more visible.

Listen for mobbing. 

Jackdaws, crows, magpies and rooks have a range of mobbing calls including a charcteristic rattling call to chase off a predator that will alert you to their presence. 

Memorise the Sparrowhawk's call

Listen for the sparrowhawk's call which you sometimes hear in woods, rartely when it's out hunting.

Try to identify every bird flying alone. 

Most will be woodpigeons but if you keep doing it during a two hour walk you're quite likely to recognise a sparrow hawk in the few moments it takes to fly overhead. Jackdaws, rooks and crows usually fly in flocks or in pairs. Predators hunt on their own.

Mindfulness, wilderness experiences and getting lost

I 

My first mindful walk as a guide is on Friday 23rd October. When I was out preparing the way today I was wondering: Does a winderness experience help me to reach a mindful state.

Mindfulness: 

paying attention to what I'm seeing hearing and feeling in the present moment.

I have known people who deliberately get lost: they take the narrow path at every fork and are at risk of straying onto privately owned land. I can imagine that it tests their intuition, tracking skills and makes them sensitive to every clue to the route home. Some people might find this frightening and land owners can certainly object. I have lost track of a path as night descends but I've always known roughly where I was.

Exploring mindfulness has led me to pause for thirty seconds in a pine wood, for instance, to listen to the sounds though it might be a few steps off the track. Fortunately I've often seen dog owners doing the same and I don't think a small diversion is a problem for the local land owners.

But the path I was walking today was bordered on both sides as the landowner clearly wanted to keep walkers exactly on the permitted path. I felt penned in and separated from the woodland on either side.  That got me thinking about what a true wilderness experience would be like. 

There would be no signs of human activity and no one to meet on the path and no indication of the correct route. While I was thinking this a helicopter flew low overhead, a farmer was cutting hedges and gun shots were scaring the pheasants.

It's not possible to escape the sounds of human activity. There is a rarely taken path I know which climbs the hillside in the middle of the wood, but I still see feeding stations for the pheasants and cables or drains or irrigation pipes.

It's not necessary to be in a complete wilderness to be surprised by natural beauty; one of those moments you meet when you're out walking. What helps me is to ask a question like where's that sound coming from? Or to check whether I see a particular bird that I saw at this spot last time.

Strangely what is helping me most at present is being orientated. Knowing where the sun is and where the wind is coming from. As I walk my circular route I have a reason to pay attention to what I see, hear and feel; I notice if the wind swings round and lines itself up with the sun. Checking the trees, chimney smoke and the movement of the clouds has made me aware of the ever-changing present moment. 

But everyone's different maybe people have other ways to keep directing their attention back to the present moment when out walking.

Colours of Autumn

2013 is a yellow autumn in the Cotswolds. Silver birches are generally yellow but after a dry September and a wet October, the field maples are also yellow this year

Trees in the Severn Valley the trees show the colour change.

After a deluge of rain, the sun comes out: