The Birds & the Bees

Traditional apple varieties tend to flower later than many blossoming fruit trees, which often makes their tardy appearance all the more welcome.

The sun is now warm and the apple orchard is vibrant with birdsong and the buzzing of bees.

Honeybees and wild bees, particularly the white-tailed bumble bee, are important visitors, performing the vital task of pollination along with their busy enjoyment of sweet nectar.

The goldfinch is welcome too as unlike its cousin the bullfinch, it does no damage to the blossom and its lively, melodic call often indicates the presence of a nest of fledglings, about to take their first flight.

Stitched with a combination of surface embroidery and stumpwork techniques, this refined study perfectly captures the simple forms and glowing colours of its subject matter.