hive | urbantreesandbees

As our garden thermometer showed it to be 45 degrees in the recent heatwave I felt a bit sorry for our bees and dug our sun umbrella out of the shed and gave them a bit of shade.

The temperature in a hive is maintained at around 35 degrees – even in winter. But anything above that the bees start fanning with their wings and collect water. You can see them fanning at the entrance and often they gather in clumps outside.
It was a glorious but cooler day back in May when the Spring walk around Roath Park took place and to go back to that now seems a bit crazy but all the blame lies with Terry and Malcolm. They just didn’t stop throwing out the facts and figures and made it far too interesting so I am determined to do as promised and follow on with ‘part two’ if I can make sense of the notes I jotted down.
And it’s a graceful start – with the pinus patula – a Mexican beauty with its hanging green locks and salmon pink bark which apparently smells of aniseed when cut.

It has five needle clusters and when its cones ( which are its flowers) are rubbed they issue a fine dust.
As we walk out of the ‘secret garden’ opposite the Acer’s we stop to admire beautiful examples of the Mahonia shrub. Originating in Asia the flowers are individually small and bell-like in shape, flowering either on long racemes, or on short, congested ones. The bees love the nectar and pollen they provide and the flowers are often followed by tiny plum-coloured fruits, which are loved by birds.

So having walked for some time through the park you really do begin to feel the wonders of those who have gone before you and planted such gems. We should cherish their work for future generations despite the cut backs due to money that the council are enforcing. Cardiff council need to look at the bigger picture and invest in what makes Cardiff special. Thanks to Terry and Malcolm their enthusiasm is being passed on and everyone on the walk is becoming equally enthused. – the trees here are full of stories such as the one we now pass which ‘Malcolm explains is known as the tree for sailors… It is called Drimys Winteri or Winter’s bark and it was discovered by a sea Captain – John Winter – as far back as 1557 who used its aromatic bark to treat scurvy. Scurvy was the bane of sailors’ lives – causing millions to die – and the root cause was the lack of vitamin C.

It is also said that Sir Francis Drake himself drank tea made from the same bark to help with stomach problems. If you crush its leaves they have a peppery smell. It flowers in early Summer –

One of the main botanists planting here in the botanic gardens was Pettigrew and Terry explains that he grew the Davidia involucrata from seed.

It also known by the names of the handkerchief tree and the ghost tree and it is easy to see why.

There is a Wales’ champion of this tree in Bute Park – Bute Park handkerchief champion

And to end this tour with a more natural sun umbrella than the one I began with – and the final tree of the tour – is the queenly Cut Leaf Beech. She stands proudly on the corner of the rose garden greeting those who make their way to the rows of memorial benches.
Malcolm points out that a few of the branches have normal beech leaves as the new growth reverts back to its original species….

The new branches point us in the direction of the tea rooms so off we go to refresh our bodies. Our brains having been more than refreshed by Terry and Malcolm’s tree wisdom.

Creating space

Head space is something to be treasured and retirement offers you the chance to find it. It gives you permission to find pleasure in simple everyday life and absorb the natural living landscapes on your doorstep. .

My real appreciation of the relevance of Nature as an everyday art form was in my visit to Tokyo a few years ago. Nature is considered vital to the wellbeing of the population crammed into every square inch of this high rise clean cut sophisticated city. The revered Tea ceremony, the neat gravel swept zen gardens and the beautiful cherished blossoms surrounding the many temples are honoured by the fast paced work-driven city dwellers.

‘Hanami’ – literally translated as ‘looking at flowers’ is the art of picnicing beneath the cherry blossoms or ‘sakura’in Spring.

The outstretched flower-laden cherry trees in Roath Mill and Waterloo gardens invite passers-by towards the grassy patch beneath them.

The most common cherry in Japan is the ‘yoshino’ variety, known as the Japanese flowering cherry or Tokyo cherry. When at least five flowers have opened on this tree the official cherry blossom season is declared open n Japan.

Cardiff has an abundance of beautiful cherry trees – I was blown away by the stunning show in Cathays park in the civic centre this year – the cleverly planted red tulips vibrant against the pale pink background.
It is a place to sit and contemplate the words of the Japanese haiku poet named Basho

The group to which cherry trees belong is called the ‘prunus’ group and this belongs to the rose family. Almond, plum, peach and nectarines also belong to this group and are a favourite for bees – especially the pollen and nectar of the large cherry plum ( prunus cerasifera) – one of the first cherry trees to flower.
Prunus padus in Bute park -is also good for pollen and nectar. The Cardiff parks website lists all the champion cherry trees in the various parks –
http://www.cardiffparks.org.uk
Were it not for our Victorian ancestors and their belief in the importance of providing green open spaces for leisure we would probably have covered every inch with concrete. In these times of climate change and the realisation that our planet is changing we are perhaps prepared to now appreciate the importance of nature, the animals and insects – and the need to protect our wildlife such as bees.

As well as bees and trees, another addition to my newly found freedom since leaving work is airbnb –

There is a lot in common with renting out space whether in frames (for bees ) or rooms (for people.) Organisation and communication is key. I suppose the difference is that people can be guided and manipulated far more easily than bees can..

Being given enough ‘space’ is an absolute must in all cases. When left to their own devices bees will build horizontal combs in their nest site and the space between the combs is just enough for two bees to pass each other back to back in order to go about their day to day tasks – ‘the bee space’.Beekeepers provide manmade hives with ready made combs in the form of wax frames that slot into the hive in a way that honours the dimensions of the ‘bee space’

So in our terraced human hive in Cardiff my son wasn’t too perturbed when I rang him at university to let him know my planned use for his room space. ” Hi James, how are you?” I asked. “Fine” he said with his usual enthusiasm. I felt I had to launch in immediately – ” dad and I are going to decorate your room” I said with gusto followed by a suitable pause.. . “cool” he replied. “And” , I said, hurriedly, ” then we’re going to let it… You know, with Airbnb ” I felt a bit guilty. There was a pause and I held my breath before he replied “Go for it mum!” “It’s a good idea – and easy” . and I almost felt disappointed as his response underlined the fact that home to him is no longer permanent.
With the bees, permanency is not something they are used to either. They like to swarm…but for now they are tucked down in their hives in my garden. However with the mild winter they are already flying. This is not good as they are using their energy to fly – for nothing – as there is no pollen or nectar – they should be reserving for their emergence in Spring…

Observations on trees and bees in Wales, Ireland and beyond

urbantreesandbees

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Sun umbrellas – (& Spring Walk part two)

Shortest day over..

Observations on trees and bees in Wales, Ireland and beyond