An incredible amount of pollen this year

Spring this year has been a particularly bad one for hay fever sufferers and those who are allergic generally--not surprising when you can literally see the yellow pollen all around you and feel the gritty layers of pollen that have built up on window sills, tables, and floors. It rained heavily today after a windy night with intermittent rain showers. The rain washed some of the pollen off the surfaces to which it has been clinging. The results--pools of rainwater that are ringed with pollen (see photos), and flowers on my balcony that are sprinkled with pollen due to the wind (see photos). But the rain didn't manage to wash all the pollen away. Once again, nature ensures the survival of the fittest. The tree or flower that has produced this type of pollen is a hardy plant and one that most likely adapts optimally to its surroundings in order to survive.

The first bumblebee of the season

It's a beautiful sunny day here in Oslo, and the crocuses in the yard are in full bloom, loving the sunshine. The first bumblebee of the season also made its appearance (the first one I've seen at least), in love with the crocuses. It made its way from flower to flower, landing on each of them and then rolling around in the pollen sitting on the top of the filament, quite a happy bee. One cannot take the bees for granted anymore, due to colony collapse disorder and bee deaths. So I was glad to see that this bumblebee was healthy and functioning. A bumblebee watching site on Twitter contacted me to tell me that this is Bombus hypnorum, a tree bumblebee, also called a new garden bumblebee. These bumblebees often live near human settlements, like to build their nests above ground and often inhabit bird boxes. You can read more about them here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombus_hypnorum.