今日の動画:太ったハナバチの蜜の吸い方
My wife and I started gardening in Fukuoka (Japan) in 2003. There was nothing but muddy clayey sloping land. At the beginning we made several structure such as steps and paths, and planted turf, fruit trees, roses, herbs etc. In 2010, we visited several famous English gardens, including Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Mottisfont Abbey Garden and Hidcote Manor Garden. We were shocked by the glory of those gardens. Since then, we have been trying to make small but glorious gardens by ourselves.
今日の動画:蝶や花蜂で賑わうエキウムの花
The Echium candicans is still in bloom. On fine days, a constant stream of insects comes to feed on its nectar. Among those visiting at this time were the Common Bluebottle, with its beautiful blue-green vertical stripes; the Nagasaki Swallowtail, Japan’s largest swallowtail; Xylocopa (large bumblebee); Bombus ignitus; and honeybees. Please take a look at the sight of all these insects flitting about.
エキウムカンディカンスが咲き続けています。お天気のより日にはたくさんの蜜を吸う昆虫たちが入れ替わり立ち代わりして訪れます。この時来ていたのは青緑色の縦筋が美しいアオスジアゲハ、日本で最も大きいアゲハのナガサキアゲハ、クマバチ、クロマルハナバチ、ミツバチなどです。たくさんの虫たちが飛び回る様子をご覧ください。
Echium candicans is a perennial herb native to the Madeira Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It is characterised by its many spikes of beautiful blue flowers and is known to attract many bees. They started blooming about a week ago, just as they do every year. The flowers are a beautiful blue, and provided it isn’t raining, bees and bumblebees flit about from early morning until dusk, sipping their nectar. They often sprout from self-sown seeds; I transplant these seedlings into pots or collect the seeds to sow, and they have been blooming somewhere in the garden for about ten years now.
エキウムカンディカンスは大西洋にあるマデイラ諸島原産の多年草です。美しい青い花をたくさんつける花穂が特徴で、多くのハナバチを呼び寄せることでも知られています。今年も一週間ほど前から咲き始めました。美しいブルーの花で、雨でなければ朝早くから夕暮れ迄、ミツバチやハナバチたちが飛び回って蜜を吸っています。こぼれ種で発芽することもよくあり、それを鉢上げしたり、種を集めて蒔いたりして、10年ほど庭のどこかで咲き続けています。
The blueberry blossoms, which began to bloom last week, attract bees and bumblebees on fine days; they flit about, helping to pollinate the flowers. I was a little worried as there have been quite a few days of bad weather, but it looks as though we’ll have a bountiful harvest again this year, which we’ll likely pick on cool summer mornings.
先週から咲き始めたブルーベリーの花に天気の良い日はミツバチやハナバチたちがやってきて飛び回り、受粉をしてくれます。お天気の悪い日が比較的多くて心配しましたが、たぶん今年もたくさん実がなって、真夏の朝涼しい時間に収穫することになりそうです。
Thyreus decorus, also known as the blue bee of happiness, comes to our garden in June on the catmint flowers. It is hard to get a good look at them because they move so fast, but if you take a photograph you can see the blue stripes on a black background. Seeing this bee makes me feel that something good is about to happen.
ルリモンハナバチは幸せの青い蜂とも呼ばれ、私たちの庭には六月、キャットミントの花にやってきます。動きが速いのでなかなかじっくり見ることができませんが、写真に撮ると黒を背景に青いストライプ模様が分かります。この蜂を見るとなんだかいい事が起こりそうな気になります。
Echium candicans is a perennial herb native to the Madeira Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. In our garden, it grows large next to the upper and lower entrances. In early summer, it grows 20-30 cm long spikes of flowers with many small flowers. When the sun shines, flower bees gather in large numbers to feed on the nectar, and the sound of their buzzing echoes around the area.
エキウムカンディカンスは大西洋のマデイラ諸島原産の多年草です。我が家の庭では、上の入り口と下の入り口横に大きく育っています。初夏に長さ20~30センチの花穂を伸ばしてたくさんの小花をつけけます。日が射すと花蜂が蜜を吸いにたくさん集まって、あたりに羽音が響きます。
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| The upper entrance of our garden 庭の上の入り口 |
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| Echium grows large next to the lower entrance 庭の下の入り口横で大きく育つエキウム |
Blueberry flowers have been blooming for the past week. Flower bees have gradually gathered. Borage are blooming everywhere in the garden, attracting the flower bees. They are busily flying from flower to flower, so it looks like there will be a lot of blueberry berries this year. Thanks to the flower bees!
ブルーベリーの花が先週から咲いています。次第に花蜂が集まってきました。ボリジが庭にはあちこちに咲いていて、花蜂を呼び集めてくれます。忙しく花から花へ飛び回っているので、今年もブルーベリーの実がたくさんつきそうです。花蜂たちに感謝です。
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| Flower bees visiting borage flowers ボリジの花にきた花蜂 |
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| A flower bee pollinates blueberry flowers ブルーベリーの授粉をする花蜂 |
Daisy fleabane (Erigeron annuus) is native to North and Central America and has become a wildflower in Japan.
In the vacant lot in front of our house it is now in full bloom. Bumblebees fly in and suck the nectar in a single-minded effort.
Wildflowers are really beautiful when they bloom all over.
ヒメジョオンは北米および中米の原産で、日本でも野草化しています.
家の前にある空き地では今満開になっています. ハナバチたちが飛んできて一心不乱に花の蜜を吸っています.
野草も一面に咲くと本当にきれいですね.