Our lovely rosemary plant seems to be in flower most of the year and it is very attractive to bees. So although it is midwinter, and not very lovely weather, the bees are still to be seen flying from flower to flower to feed on the nectar. The bumblebee is rather round and very hairy, and does not seem as fast moving as the honey bee. To me it is a slightly comical looking little beast, rather like the bee a small child might draw, and it does not seem very aerodynamic in design. The name fits - it bumbles around. But when it comes to accessing the flowers it can manoeuvre just as well as its more sleek counterparts.
Caught in action, its wings a blur - a bumble bee is feeding from a rosemary flower in a rather awkward spot. Maybe it can't do elegant hovering like a hummingbird but it is an impressive feat, and it is getting the food all the same. So here's to bumbling along - maybe we can find our way to look after this good earth even if we don't look all that fit for purpose.