Ragwort, Senecio jacobaea and red-tailed bumble bee Ragwort or golden-tops, which do you prefer? Golden-tops was the name give to the flower by the poet John Clare and it sounds more appealing than ragwort. The Welsh Black cattle up on Scout Scar were loud this morning, but not in objection to ragwort. The cows had very young calves and they moved together as a herd to protect them. The morning was windy and the tall flowers swayed to and fro and the red-tailed bumble bees clung on. Look closely at the images and you can see their hooked feet.
Ragwort and red-tailed bumble bee
I love the complementary colours of bumblebee and flower, and their design. How inviting those flowers look as they open their petals to welcome the bees. Some of the florets at the heart of the flower have opened to yield nectar and pollen.
When the caterpillars of cinnabar moth feed on ragwort they absorb the toxins in the plant. I wonder if the bumble absorbs toxins as it collects nectar and pollen. These tall ragwort flowers are growing on limestone clitter, where cattle are unlikely to graze.
Anthers of a thistle
Look closely into flowers and you can see what the bees are after. With the light behind it, anthers glisten and glow.
Red-tailed bumble bee on thistle
An exquisite little bee. I found them foraging on thistles bristling with spines. Their legs sink in amongst the anthers and pollen sticks to their furry coats.
The autumn gentian begin to flower but their petals don’t open until the sun shines brightly. Their lovely flowers are unostentatious and I reckon few walkers notice them amongst the brighter purples of thyme, betony and self-heal.
The autumn gentian begin to flower but their petals don’t open until the sun shines brightly. Their lovely flowers are unostentatious and I reckon few walkers notice them amongst the brighter purples of thyme, betony and self-heal.
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