Oldt1mer - Keith's photos with the keyword: Flower

This is, I believe, a species of Honey Bee which was visiting a growth of Himalayan Balsam - Impatiens glandulifera. There are several species of Honey Bee and although I have tried, I cannot accurately identify this one for you (hopefully some kind person will help). The Himalayan Balsam, a relative of the Busy Lizzie, is an invasive species native to the Himalayas which produces large amounts of nectar making it very popular to many flying insects. Seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Welsh Poppy – Meconopsis cambrica but now known as Papaver cambricum – is a perennial flowering plant with yellow to orange flowers native to upland Western Europe and has been used since 2006 as the basis for the logo of the Welsh political party Plaid Cymru. It prefers damp shady places on rocky ground and will live happily in crevices between paving slabs, edges of walls and rocky outcrops. This lovely yellow one was seen at Martin Mere. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The beautiful Meadow Cranesbill – Geranium pratense – is also known as the Meadow Geranium and is a wildflower found in clumps up to 1m broad. Native to Europe and Asia it is a very hardy perennial which can withstand cold down to -20C. It is very popular with insects because of the high sugar content of its nectar which is 57-71%! This beauty was seen at Martin Mere during summer. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The lovely Marsh Marigold – Caltha palustris – is also known as Kingcup or King Cup and favours damp places like marshes, ditches, wet woodlands etc. It is a large buttercup like flower and is quite popular with gardeners as it is easy to maintain and works well in boggy areas that other flowering plants do not like. This beauty was seen at Martin Mere Wetlands. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This tiny little fly sitting in a buttercup flower is, I now believe to be, the Snouted Duck Fly – Anasimyia lineata – which is a species of hoverfly commonly found near wetlands, swampy water areas, ditches etc. It is unusual because of its long snout which tapers to a point which, unfortunately cannot be seen in this picture. Seen at Pennington Flash, Leigh, Lancashire. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The lovely European Peacock Butterfly – Aglais io – can be found across Europe and temperate Asia as far east as Japan. It is not to be confused with the American Peacock which, although belonging to the same family are not close relatives of the European species. This was an early appearance and was seen at Martin Mere Wetlands. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The lovely Meadow Crane's-Bill - Geranium pratense - is a wildflower also known as the Meadow Geranium or, in Scandinavia, the Mid-Summer Flower. It is native to Europe and Asia and can be found in grassland, farmland, woodland and roadside verges. Growing in clumps up to half a metre high the flowers are usually violet blue but can vary from very deep blue to pink and occasionally white depending on the soil they are growing in. This one was seen at the Three Sisters Recreational Area near Wigan. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

A look back to warmer days and the beautiful little Marmalade Fly - Episyrphus balteatus - which is possibly the commonest and most widespread hoverfly in the UK. At approximately 1 cm long it can be seen pretty much year round feeding on wildflowers of various kinds but is more prevalent in the warmer months. It is really interesting that not only are they one of the few species of fly that can crush pollen grains to feed on them, they can actually fly backwards as well. These three seemed to be having a pollen fest on the dandelion flower at Martin Mere Wetlands, Burscough, Lancashire. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Common Carder Bee - Bombus pascuorum - is a species of Bumblebee which can be found in most of Europe. They feed on a variety of wild flowers including Knapweed, Nettles, Motherwort, clovers and the Himalayan Balsam which this one can be seen exiting. Himalayan Balsam - Impatiens glandulifera - is actually a variety of the Busy Lizzie but can grow to over six feet high. Introduced as an exotic garden flower they quickly spread and can now be found almost everywhere especially by or near water. Each plant can produce up to 800 seeds which are spread by seed pods which open explosively when ripe and dispersed up to 7m (22ft) away. It is considered an invasive weed. Bees and insects love them because they produce large amounts of nectar. Seen at Pennington Flash, Leigh, Lancashire. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The lovely little Yellow Water Lily - Nuphar lutea - is a small Water Lily which can be found in Europe, West Indies, Eastern USA and North Africa. Also known as the Brandy Bottle (because of its scent), Spadderdock, Bullhead Lily, Yellow Cow-Lily and many other common or popular names, it has been used as a food source and in medicinal practices from prehistoric times and potential research is still going forward. This little scene was seen on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal near Pennington Flash, Leigh, Lancashire. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.