There are a fair few rare bee species, with some literally on the brink of extinction, but few more so than the Shrill Carder Bee (Bombus sylvarum).

Lamb’s Ears
Lamb’s ears is a magnet for bees, especially the wool carder bee

Wool Carder Bee
The Wool Carder Bee (Anthidium manicatum) is an iconic summer garden bee. It’s a solitary bee and will sometimes nest […]

Leaf-Cutter Bees
Look out for the leaf-cutter bees in your June garden. You might notice the notches on your rose leaves.

Honeybee Swarms
In bee world, the honeybee is just one species of the 276 or so different bee species in the UK. […]

Orange Ball Buddleia
Buddleia globosa is a magnet for butterflies, bees and all pollinators that rely on nectar to fuel their activity.

Dandelion
Taraxacum officinale You might be surprised to find dandelion in my best bee plant list, but these bright, vibrant landing […]

Ashy Mining Bee
The Ashy Mining bee is just one of the 65 or so Andrena species in the UK. These are the ground nesting bees that excavate their nests in close mown areas of the lawn, bare soil and sunny banks.

White-tailed Bumblebee
As spring starts in earnest you will start to see large, fluffy bees bombing around your gardens. You might hear them first as they resemble low flying helicopters as they navigate their way around foraging for food and surveying for a suitable nest site.

Flowering Currant
(Ribes sanguineum) It’s not just perennials and spring flowering bulbs that are great bee plants, garden shrubs play an important […]