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Red-tailed bumblebee and ragwort

1/8/2015

1 Comment

 
PictureRagwort, 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.

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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.
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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.
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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. 
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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.
1 Comment
Ann Bell
12/9/2015 05:27:51 pm

Hello Jan , I do follow your blog ,fantastic photos ,and really interesting ,I have looked out over the years to try and see the caterpillers that I remember as a child 60 years ago and in the 1960s when there seemed to be lots of the yellow and brown ones covering the ragwort flowers ,so I was very pleased to see they are still about and I now know what they are , so thank you Jan from Ann. Dot wildings (sister )

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    Jan Wiltshire is a nature writer living in Cumbria. She also explores islands and coast and the wildlife experience. (See Home and My Books.)

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