Hey there BeastieBuddies! Can it really be May already?!
After a bit of a cold snap here recently, it feels like Spring is back on track again… And right about now is when bluebells have their moment in the sun! Having seen so many pictures of beautiful bluebell woods just about everywhere over the bank holiday weekend, Paddy and Plunkett decided to take a break from adventuring and seek out some of these colourful natural wonders for themselves…
As you can see, bluebells are perfect for a Beastie-sized game of hide and seek.
“BOO!”
“Gaaaaah! Paddy, I had no idea you were even there!”
But it turns out that there was an even bigger surprise just around the corner for Plunkett – the lads aren’t the only creatures out enjoying the bluebells today…
“Paddy, what’s that noise?”
“Hey, look! It’s a bee, Plunkett!”
“A BEE?! AAAAAAARRRRGH!”
We all know that Plunkett is something of a nervous character. So while Paddy made friends…
…Plunkett was heading for the hills!
But he really shouldn’t have worried. This bee is one friendly critter.
I’ve actually been meaning to develop a pattern for this busy little lady for ages! My Mum has been working tirelessly over the last couple of years to make life easier for our native bees, which are facing all kinds of problems due to habitat destruction and a particularly nasty parasite called the varroa mite. I had hoped to provide her with a swarm of felt bees to promote her Bee Garden project at Moneypenny’s Lock on the Newry Canal last summer, but of course I didn’t quite get around to it!
This year, the springing of spring got me thinking about bees again… and it happened to coincide with a call for submissions for a Craftivism event in The Make It Shop in Manchester by The Snail of Happiness, whose blog I’ve been following and enjoying since I started here a couple of years back. Finally, the extra nudge I needed!
So in the past week, three little felt bees have buzzed off to the UK, each with a hand-drawn mini-zine about some simple things we can all do to help out our hardworking insect friends. And yes, Mum finally got some bees of her own to snap in her Bee Garden!
So, what’s next for the bees? Well, I had a lot of fun making them, and once I’d figured out the angles of the pattern, it was actually quite a simple make! So I’m toying with drawing up the templates and putting them out there so everyone can have a go – what do you all think? Let me know in the comments!
Lovely 🐝 thank you so much
Sorry my fingers pushed the wrong button again .Lovely bees great idea I love my bees
Yes, that happens to me all the time too 😆 And thank you… I bet your local bees just love your beautiful garden!
Thank you
Very cool!
Thanks, Alois! I’m a big fan of your photos!
Thanks so much… they have arrived safely and Danielle and I are just blown away. You should certainly draw up the pattern.
Thanks, Dr Snail! I’m so glad I was able to get involved and finally do something with this idea, and Danielle sent me a really nice email yesterday to say the bees had arrived safely. I’ll definitely be developing this further, watch this space 😀
Love your bees, they make great beastie companions. I try to make my front and ( outer) side garden bee & butterfly friendly. I replanted part of it last year, when my new foxgloves & poppies bloom I’ll take photos.
Oh, brilliant! You and your Mum both have such lovely gardens… Your local bees are lucky to have you. My balcony garden is going to need a few more flowers if it’s going to make the grade… Must get planting!
Thanks, we live on the flight path between 2 bird/nature reserves, all sorts of things stop off, especially in Mum’s garden
Oooh, lucky you! Hope you have some interesting visitors this summer 😀
The bee is delightful. I had a deliberately bee-friendly garden in Scotland and need to look into what I could plant here in Pennsylvania that would really appeal to them while also taking into consideration the fact that I am not a great gardener.
Hahaha, tell me about it! I find I’ve had most success when my green-fingered parents do the planting, and I swoop in and claim the plant when it’s big enough to survive my “care”! Maybe I’ll improve with practice though. As for finding local bee-friendly planting ideas, have you a botanical garden nearby with staff who could help you? Might be a fun family day out, too!
What I did in Scotland was plant versions of plants that thrive in the wild, such as heathers. I figured if they could survive not being tended at all then they could survive me.
As for here, I’ve been making note of the plants that attract bees and have been gradually identifying them. A further step will be to identify which of those plants might survive me. I can’t do needy plants.
Haha, YES! Cacti are my ideal plant… but there’s not a lot to keep the bees entertained with those, so I’m making myself branch out a little! Good luck with your garden 😀
Delightful bee and bluebells! The bee is absolutely adorable – I love its fluttering, heart-shaped wings. A beautiful reminder of the love and sharing that happens in nature! Thanks for this reminder and dose of Spring (it’s gone back to winter-like here in Chicago for a few more days). If you published the pattern, I may have to try my hand at making a little bee. I really enjoy felties!
That’s two votes for the pattern then… Sounds like an endorsement to me! I’d better get started, and maybe a tutorial might be a good idea too. Thanks, Shirley – hope you manage to shake off that second winter soon!
Love them and love that they might help other bees!
Hello! 🙋 Nice to see you here! And thanks for checking out the newest addition to the Beastie (Bee-stie?) family 😀 I’m actually hoping to do more with these, so stay tuned! How are you getting on with your crochet?
I enjoyed reading this post! Your bee is so cute indeed and you are one so very lovely soul!
Awww, thanks Tajana! I’ve had a couple of requests to do up the pattern as well, so I’ll hopefully be sharing that soon and you can make some of your own. They’d be an easy make for a crafty lady like you! 😀
Oh, thank you ❤
Ha Ha Ha. Poor Plunkett. 🙂 That bee is adorable. Nice work!
Thanks! Yes, poor Plunkett is really more of an indoor Beastie! 😆
Ha ha. He’s a beastie after my own heart.
Nothing wrong with that! Although there’s a lot to be said for channelling your inner Paddy on occasion too! 😀
Your felted bee is adorbs! But tell the Beasties that I would have totally run away–and did! a few summers ago when my husband started trying to raise bees. Whoa! terrifying, even if they were just protecting their home 🙂 I’ll stick to the felted kind any day!
Thanks Melissa! Does Spencer still have the beehives? It’s something I’d love to do, but it sounds like it’s the kind of thing that needs you to have a massive garden so you and the bees never really have to interact! So I’ll stick to providing a fuelling stop for the odd bee passing through, and making felt ones that are perfect for even teeny city centre apartment gardens! 😀
What!? How did I miss this post? I showed it to my bees and they were super excited and all gave you a collective (albeit, buzzy) “Thanks!!” Also, just noticing the comment above, you can (if Dublin regulations allow) keep bees in a rooftop hive. Bees actually do fairly well in cities and suburbs due to the variety of plants people keep. My bees (kept in my rather small garden) just swarmed twice last week, which not only means a healthy hive, but that I’ve “donated” a few thousand bees to the world’s honeybee population :)).
Woohoooooo, go Queen Bee Tammie! It’s great to hear your bees are thriving, and that it’s possible to keep them in a smaller garden. I’ll have to have a look and see if I can gain access to the Beastie Towers rooftop! Thanks for your comment, and for getting me the seal (or Bee-l) of approval from your own hive! 🐝