Out of Time

We are having weather about which it is quite hard to generalise. We have had some frosts already, including a ground frost; it's quite early for that. But we are having some days on which bright sun and warm temperatures feel more like early summer than late autumn - and the behaviour of the bees reinforces the impression: foraging enthusiastically; frenetic activity at the hive entrance; bringing home pollen as if they are building up the colony for summer plenty

In between, we have had prolonged heavy rain. Land is flooded; surface water is lying in the bottom of the ridge-and furrow in the orchard; soil is saturated; water trickles into ditches. After a poor harvest, it must be very difficult for farmers to get autumn-sown crops established; the year is challenging from the outset. The first of the autumn storms will hit the country tomorrow - extreme on some of the coastal margins; much more benign here, but yet more rain to generate yet more standing water

We spent the day harvesting the orchard; in wellington boots to protect against ankle-deep water in the furrows, but hot and sweating in just shirtsleeves. For a few moments, I also occupied myself with organising orders for sugar fondant, for feeding bees in the depth of winter cold, normally little more than two months away - the dissonance is striking

This picture also seems like an image of spring, not October. A thriving colony of aphids, dining on rising sap, in turn passing on honeydew to ants that would normally be hunkered underground. I don't know if it applies to these ones, but I read that some ants even take aphids underground with them in winter, much as dairy farmers house their cows. The relationship between ants and aphids can be complex, it seems - ants may deter aphid predators such as ladybirds, and even remove their eggs from the vicinity but, if the aphids enter a winged phase and set to depart, the ants may tear off their wings! We probably should not try to draw too many parallels with human relationships