Imogen's photos with the keyword: garden

The accepted opinion is Bees have a preference for blue flowers over other colours. I noticed this summer that the bees visited the white flowers of perennial Basil more than any others, even though the blue Salvia is right next to the Basil plant. As with anything in nature, the answer is usually more complex than we think.

Amegilla bombiformis, or Blue Banded Bee - one of the many native bees in Australia. Here the bee is gathering nectar on a Perennial Basil plant, which flowers for most of the year except winter and is a source of food for Honey Bees and Native Bees also. The Basil plant grows quite large (1.2metres) in a warm climate like Australia and I find it best to prune the plant in mid-summer to a more compact shape which also encourages more flowering on a bushier plant. Previously I used to cut the Basil plant down in middle of Autumn but since I notice it is the last plant with flowers in my garden for the Bees to gather food, I now wait till beginning of Winter before pruning the plant. In our climate the bees are still active until first cold temperatures !

Tall Bearded Iris Tuscan Villa: one of the early to flower iris and the bonus is the flowers have a strong scent. I've grown many iris varieties over the years and now actively seek out iris with perfumed flowers. Iris perfume is captivating.

Pineapple Lily or Eucomis hybrid, native of South Africa. This variety has wonderful purple sword-like foliage for 11 months of the year. It flowers in Spring for two months and then dies down for a month of rest before new foliage appears until the next year. A trouble free bulb grown in a pot as here or out in the garden.

Blue banded bee, Amegilla, a native bee of Australia collecting nectar from a Salvia flower. The bee has learnt that it is easier to get to the pollen by punching a hole through the base of the flower rather than fighting its way up the funnel of the flower. Sadly it means the flower misses out on having its pollen dispersed by the bee.

Australian native bee, Amegilla or Blue Banded Bee flying towards Salvia Uliginosa. This true blue Salvia lures insects like a magnet, including most bees.

David Austin rose, Tamora, glows even on a dull rainy day. One of the loveliest roses in our Australian climate.

A native Australian bee, Amegilla, employs stealth to gain access to the nectar in this flower by going directly to the base of the flower calyx. She makes a small hole with her sharp mouthpiece through the wall of the flower to get to the nectar. The bee saves time doing this and not using the normal method of exploring the flower trumpet. The negative side to this is pollination of flowers is diminished as the bee tends not to transfer pollen between flowers.

Honeybee, clambering around in search of nectar in gaura flower.

Australian native bee, Amegilla or Blue Banded Bee coming in to land on Salvia inflorescence. This bright blue flower is the most attractive to native bees. For some reason this salvia has grown twice as high this summer standing over two metres tall - the bees love it as it is in their direct line of flight.

Devil's Stinkhorn fungus, Lysurus mokusin, 70mm tall (3 inches), suburban garden, Australia. Belonging to an interesting family of fungi that appear overnight out of the soil, live and die within a day or so. They hatch out of egg like structures below or at soil level and the spores are contained in a slime substance on the lantern tip. The slime exudes a strong smell hence the common name Stinkhorn. Flies and other insects are attracted to the smell and help disperse the spores. Lysurus mokusin is non-toxic and some say it is edible!

Two bees in Gallica Rose. Strolling through the garden at dusk I saw these two bees who were motionless and appeared to be resting or sleeping. Bees usually return to the hive each afternoon after their daily work is done. It is lovely to imagine these two bees spent the night in this glorious perfumed rose.

The season of Spring is forever associated in my mind with Tulips. No other flower evokes the feeling of renewal and new possibilities in life as Tulips do. This picture is dedicated to the memory of Cassi.

Delphinium Elatum seed pod development. All the world is a hustle bustle, and all the while Nature quietly procreates to ensure survival. This Delphinium is in a hurry, producing seed pods while the florets are still in full bloom. The summer has been dry in Australia this year, with little rain in six months. Some plants seem to sense this in advance and grow and seed quickly in an attempt to give their offspring a head start.