This gallery is going to be an archive of the flowers worked by our bees on Hampstead Heath, along with gardens, roads, other parks and open spaces that surround our home apiary. It will take time if not years to fill and I will be updating as we go through the seasons. Hopefully this will be of interest to other groups interested in environmental issues as well as beekeepers.
Crocus in full flower 6th of March, temp 10c. There were both Queen bumble bees and honey bees working flowers. Both were collecting pollen and the bumble bees with their longer tongue could also be seen collecting a little nectar as well.
Cherries blooming in a street near our apiary. This is a wonderful early source of nectar and pollen. If you are going to plant or sponsor planting a street tree, please remember to choose a single flowering variety. Double flowers produce nothing.
Worker Bumble Bee Bombus Terestris sipping nectar from Buddleia Globosa in our apiary on a sunny June afternoon. Likely to be found in your compost heap, under sheds or under litter in out buildings. It has a white tail. Gentle, but sounds fierce because it buzzes a lot when disturbed. Unlikely to sting unless really provoked! On the left. A worker honey bee [apis mellifera ligustica] working a campanula flower for nectar, she also has a little pollen on her rear leg. On the right a worker bumble bee [Bombus Terestris] also working a campanula flower as you can see they are nothing like a honey bee what so ever.
This snowberry bush was buzzing with bees busy collecting some of the last drops of nectar and pollen of the season for their winter stores. Its a struggle for them with threads of spider web throughout the bush. I like this picture I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I found this Vetch plant growing in a hedge row near the lido at the bottom of Hampstead Heath on a sunny day in late September. It was really buzzing with dozens of honey bees collecting both nectar and pollen.
Well it is spring 19/4/2002 the apples are nearly in full bloom. Their scent hangs heavily in the air, Both blackbird and robin are singing in the branches, backed by the contented hum of honeybees working the blossom. Without whom there would be no fruit or honey for tea! Also taken on the 19/4/2002. The Dandelion. This plants cheery golden blossom are a profuse yielder of high quality pollen and nectar. Where there are enough of them it produces a good flavoured golden honey with distinct lemon yellow cappings to the honeycomb.
Goldenrod is a really good source of both nectar and pollen. Even this little clump is being worked from first light to dusk every day. Its also buzzing with solitary bees and bumble bees. If every garden had a clump of this plant it would be a wonderful help to all of them. Pics taken 29/7/02 This one is really nice, giveing an even closer veiw of the dandelion flower structure.
Here we have late Goldenrod in our apiary being enjoyed by a bumble bee basking in the late August sun. As you can see her wing tips are tattered and soon her life will be done. These gentle insects work until their body wears out. Main picture size 240k The Hampstead Heath open day on the 13th of July 03 was visited by thousands of people, they were dancing, looking at stalls, children playing, sunbathing or just listening to the music. Right among them there are clumps of field thistles, [sweetly scented somewhat like sweet peas].

The thistles were being worked by hundreds of honey bees collecting nectar. Neither the bees or the revelling people were aware of the other, each going about their own business.
Today I spotted a huge patch of apple mint in full flower, in a garden near to our apiary. As I got a close I could see every flower cluster being worked by honey bees collecting nectar. Pic taken 24/7/03.
For a long time I have wanted to take a picture of the ubiquitous lime being worked by honey bees for a long time, its very hard to get close enough. Today Saterday 27/7/04 the scent hung heavy in the air and the trees were buzzing with thousands of bees. I think these are the white lime [tillia tomentosa] or hybrid from it, they flower mid July and are worked heavily every year for the last 20 years I have been observing them. They are said by some to stupify bees in some years but I have never see a single case with these trees.