Work without
Hope
By Samuel
Taylor Coleridge
Lines Composed 21st February 1825
All Nature
seems at work. Slugs leave their lair—
The bees are
stirring—birds are on the wing—
And Winter
slumbering in the open air,
Wears on his
smiling face a dream of Spring!
And I the
while, the sole unbusy thing,
Nor honey
make, nor pair, nor build, nor sing.
Yet well I
ken the banks where amaranths blow,
Have traced
the fount whence streams of nectar flow.
Bloom, O ye
amaranths! bloom for whom ye may,
For me ye
bloom not! Glide, rich streams, away!
With lips
unbrightened, wreathless brow, I stroll:
And would
you learn the spells that drowse my soul?
Work without
Hope draws nectar in a sieve,
And Hope
without an object cannot live.
It was this lovely, fat Bombus terrestris, a very common species which is often the first to emerge, and in some southern counties is now not even hibernating. The newly emergent queens will forage for a few days, build up their strength and look for suitable locations (such as old vole holes) to establish a nest.
As a point of comparison, in 2013 I didn't see any Bumblebees until 7th April, but in 2012 it was 28th February. Foraging opportunities are pretty good this year, with lots of dead nettles, crocuses and even early daffodils.
As a point of comparison, in 2013 I didn't see any Bumblebees until 7th April, but in 2012 it was 28th February. Foraging opportunities are pretty good this year, with lots of dead nettles, crocuses and even early daffodils.
Great, I have yet to see a bee. There are now 4 clumps of frogspawn and I haven't seen any more moths. It's interesting to be able to compare dates year on year.
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