Thief!

This bumble bee was flying around stealing honey from the backs of the aquilegia flowers, without providing fertilization services. That must be the bee version of shoplifting.

In the aftermath of the unseasonal snow I find things are not too bad. Of the edibles only the red and black currants sustained much damage, but as there's plenty of them there will be enough fruit for me. The giant rhubarb remains ruined and a few taller flowers among the honesty and cornflowers are lost, but the ornamentals got off lightly.

The big rose bush has managed to lift itself off the ground- just, but getting it upright will be a challenge, and it will need to be staked to hold it up. It has collapsed under snow before, but that was in winter when it had few leaves. Now it is in full leaf and with a mass of new growth. As a matter of interest I measured it. It normally stands 2.5 metres tall, is 3.2 m wide and is 1.5m deep (in feet, approx, 8, 10.5, 4.5). At present the whole thing is bent over. An even more radical pruning than last year's will be in order.