The clover has established beautifully in patches rather than taking over completely, which is ideal. You’ve got a proper bee lawn developing there. The white clover flowers are nectar-rich and provide an important food source, especially during the so-called “June gap” when spring blossoms have finished and many summer flowers are only just getting going.
From your earlier description of seeing mostly white- and orange-tailed bumblebees, I’d expect you could find several species:
Likely visitors include:
- 🐝 White-tailed Bumblebee – often appears with a white tail and pale yellow bands.
- 🐝 Buff-tailed Bumblebee – very common in gardens and allotments; workers can resemble white-tailed bees.
- 🐝 Red-tailed Bumblebee – unmistakable with its fiery orange-red tail.
- 🐝 Common Carder Bee – ginger-brown and rather fluffy.
Your lawn also has excellent structure for wildlife. The slightly longer grass around the edges and the flowering clover patches create different microhabitats for insects and shelter for other invertebrates.
This could make a lovely website post:
A Bee Lawn in the Making
What started as an ordinary patch of grass is gradually becoming something much more interesting. By allowing white clover to establish and resisting the urge to mow everything short, the lawn is now alive with bees.
On warm evenings, bumblebees move from patch to patch, feeding on the clover flowers. White-tailed and orange-tailed species seem particularly fond of the lawn, and identifying exactly which bees are visiting may become a summer project in itself.
A bee lawn doesn’t have to be untidy. Mowing pathways and leaving flowering patches creates a balance between appearance and wildlife value. Even a small area of clover can provide an important nectar source at a time of year when many pollinators need it most.
Next challenge: Can we identify every bee species visiting the clover this summer?
If you can, try taking a few close-up photos of the bees from above and from the side. Bumblebees are surprisingly identifiable once you start looking at tail colour, banding and whether the face is long or short. You may end up with a nice little “Bees of the Bee Lawn” series for the wildlife pages. 🐝🍀🌿