Working on #10 of my watercolour series that depict the 15 butterfly species lost to the Netherlands over the past 80 years 🦋
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#watercolour #butterfly #savetheinsects #savethepollinators #organicgardening #nopesticides #noinsecticides #lookforbeauty #inspiredbynature #protectnature #melissahalley

It seems that autumn is hurrying in this year, everything has been ripening up or finishing early. The blackberries started early. The earliest of our winter squashes are starting to die back and the fruits are ripening.
#GrowYourOwnFruit #NoDig #organic #unsprayed #NoChemicals #NoInsecticides

This morning I had a couple of bumbles having a little nap on my balcony 💛
Among them this little Early Bumblebee, Bombus pratorum or in Dutch Weidehommel 💛🐝
#spring #savethebees #savetheinsects #savethepollinators #organicplants #organicgardening #nopesticides #noinsecticides #melissahalley

Colourful bowl of minestrone: a tomato red broth with whitish pipe pasta and beans, chopped dark green kale and orange carrots mixed in.

On a day when the Swifts returned, I made minestrone with leeks and kale and herbs from the garden while listening to @ezracollective
#GrowYourOwnFood #organic #NoDig #NoInsecticides #RealFood #FoodFromScratch

One of my favourite bees, Andrena haemorrhoa, the Orange-tailed Mining Bee. They are so pretty and have been busy pollinating our apples.
#GrowYourOwnFood #WildlifeFriendlyGarden #organic #NoPesticides #NoChemicals #NoInsecticides

The Cavallo Nero has gone to seed. We will continue to pick leaves and flowers to eat until we need the ground for new crops. Meantime this Common Carder Bee, Bombus pascuorum, seems to be pleased with her share! #WildlifeFriendlyGarden #NoDig #NoChemicals #NoPesticides #Organic #NoInsecticides

All our salad crops that fed us over the winter are growing apace, and some are going to seed. So it's nice to be able to share the bounty with neighbours.
#NoDig #GrowYourOwnFood #organic #NoInsecticides #NoChemicals #NoPesticides

Common carder bee (akkerhommel) enjoying the comfrey (smeerwortel) on my balcony 💜
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#spring #savethebees #savetheinsects #savethepollinators #organicplants #organicgardening #nopesticides #noinsecticides #inspiredbynature #nature #protectnature

Still she wouldn't fly so maybe she needed some food. I decided on 'appelstroop'.
As soon as I came close I noticed she smelled the sweetness and was happy with her treat.
Pretty soon she was able to fly and took off.
#savetheinsects #organicgardening #nopesticides #noinsecticides #melissahalley

Close up of Carder Bee feeding from a lilac-coloured Pulmonaria flower. The bee has a dark head with some yellowish-orange tufts of hair; a thorax covered in orange and cream hairs; its abdomen isn't visible.

Common Carder Bee, Bombus pascuorum, has to be one of the prettiest of our bumblebees. They do the lions share of pollination on our tomatoes and other vegetables.
#WildlifeFriendlyGarden #NoDig #NoInsecticides #NoChemicals #organic #OrganicGarden

Delighted that the bumblebees are all over the broad beans. Just look at the length of the tongue of this Garden Bumblebee, Bombus hortorum!
#NoDig #WildifeFriendlyGarden #NoChemicals #NoPesticides #NoInsecticides #GrowYourOwnFood

Saw this beautiful Black Clock Beetle - Pterostichus madidus var concinnus (I think) in the garden today. I hadn't noticed one with those gorgeous wine-red thighs before. Happy for anyone to confirm our correct me. #WildlifeFriendlyGarden #NoChemicals #NoInsecticides

Bud of nectarine flower, the pink petals, still unfurled, have pushed through the green and russet sepals. The red-brown twig it is on has leaf buds ready to open soon.

And not long till the nectarine blossom opens!
#GrowYourOwnFruit #NoDig #Spring #Blossom #Unsprayed #NoPesticides #NoChemicals #NoInsecticides #WildlifeFriendlyGarden