It's nearly September and there seems to be a new urgency in the air. Now we have taken our honey the honeybees, battling wasps at the hive entrance, are building up stores ready for winter. The butterflies now look very ragged and faded, as do this year's Bumblebees - although the new queens look pristine, and are feeding frantically to build up fat for their hibernation.
I'm acutely aware of the need for nectar flow before the ivy flowers, and for us although Verbena and some Asters seem to do well for insects at this time of year the plant that ticks all the boxes is Sedum, or Stonecrop (spectabile) and Orpine (telephium). The large flowerheads with their scores of florets are perfect for most pollinators. We've devoted a nice big section of a sunny southwest facing border to it, where I grow three different varieties in order to ensure seamless foraging from late August to October. As ever, the fancier the cultivar the less helpful it is - I've had several failed experiments.
I'm cursing because I can't remember the name of the more prostrate plant shown right- can you help me out ? Incidentally, there are many more of the smaller male bumblebees about at this time of year. Having mated they have nothing to do; lacking pollen baskets all they do is feed. Sedum telephium 'Purple Emperor' (pictured right), named after its foliage rather than flower colour, is in full flower at the moment and attracting a wide range of pollinators. Or at least I think that's what it is; it might just be Orpine, Sedum telephium 'Matrona', which is another fabulous nectar plant. The odd honeybee and Carder bee are trying to winkle open 'Autumn Joy' (below right) already - in a week or so the flowerheads will be heaving with honeybees once the sun hits them. Excuse all the bumblebee photos by the way - I'm honing my identification skills, and I'm seemingly no better at picking different kinds of Sedum than I am Carder bees...
