bees in their own places . .

very friendly pair of Pekin ducks..

we found this bees nest in the ground under the alder roots, I thought it was wasps at first, unusual to see bees nest in this sort of place. The alders are planted along the river bank.

Last Sunday I was invited out to dinner to friends who own a beautiful garden and home right on the river bank, just out of the city. Stephen and Janet have owned Moondance for about 5 yrs, they inherited this amazingly formal garden, based on an English theme, and have added their personal touch with an aviary and more planting. The trees are huge , with flowering borders, hedging and areas of NZ native trees planted. There is a large pond that is home to a pair of persil white Pekin ducks and some rather big goldfish, with Swamp Cypress planted on the edge for stunning autumn colour - autumn is breath-taking out there - liquidambers, pin oaks, liriodendrons, copper beech. cercis and other exotic trees adding their colour to the mix.

Above is a pic of another bees nest in a bird box placed on a Liriodendron or Tulip Tree in the garden . I am going to go back this week sometime, climb up a ladder and lift the lid ! i would love to have a quick peep inside and maybe leave a small piece of varroa (organic) treatment inside so may be they will survive the winter. Both wild hives were still quite busy.