Baby Bumble Bees

First you only see the over wintered Queens then about a month later the garden is alive with baby Bumble Bees. The first hatch is always special and so noticeable as they are all small.

These workers will then set to work helping the queen with the next batch and so on and so on....

Every year is different depending on the temperature. But these guys need food. Vetch, Broad Beans, Lupine, Mustard and Peas are a few garden flowers that are good for early spring.

Kumara tipu

Kumara tipu are always such a fresh green when they first come up.

I wait until they are around 20cm long and then carefully pull each one up.

They should have roots and be ready to plant.

Kumara hotbox

A range of seed kumara in our hot box.

First we made an underground compost heap with lots of greens and animal manure. We then put down a layer of sand and our kumara.

Next up will be around 10cm of sand and the glass lid.

Fire wood

It is always satisfying to spend a weekend or two getting next winters woos cut and drying.

Garlic roots

After soakinng in worm wee and cow manure tea overnight garlic bulbs begin to grow.

Fungi

Beautiful yellow fungi.

Red Clover

Clover helps provide abundant nitrogen to farms and orchards all over the world.

Before Bumblebees were brought into New Zealand clover seed had to be brought in every year.  Only the long tongues of Bumble Bees could fertilize Clover.

It also makes a colorful and tasty addition to salads.

Gourd tendril

Tendrils are amazingly touch sensitive. as soon as they come into contact with something they start contracting and spiral.

Any plants with tendrils can be trained up into trellises, huts, archways walls................even better if they are edible.

Red Admiral

These beautiful native butterflies lay their eggs in stinging nettle bushes. The catterpillars use webs to roll up webs to keep safe.

Various introduced wasp species have had a big impact on these beauties.

Tree House

Lining, windows, door, cladding, built in bunk, 12 volt power system....all with a view of the tree tops. We all want to move in.

What a project. A big thank you to family that helped out.

Fig Tree

What a tree.
We camped right next to it on the Kaipara harbour.

This fig tree is around 29.7meters high and 14.4 meters in girth. Its buttress roots are beautiful.

We had a great 'north' trip exploring Kauri forests, lakes, harbours, jumping bridges, caves, streams and atching up with great friends.