We are all being made aware of the plight of the disappearing honey bee in the UK, but it is not so well known that many other types of bee are busy pollinating our crops and gracing our gardens. The much loved Bumblebees and the lesser known Solitary Bees are a crucial part of our natural world. Valerie's exhibition shows the diversity and beauty of 20 different bees, from the smart black and silver Grey Mining Bee pondering the world from a Hawthorn branch, to the pretty Carder Bumblebee preparing to land on a sprig of Lavender (seen below). We asked Valerie to write about her exhibition and what inspired her to paint the bees and this is what she said...

Why Bees and Why the Exhibition?

Last year while doing some gardening for my father I found our old beehives, tucked away and no longer in use. Such memories flooded in about the delightful bees and their honey that I decided to paint a honey bee for my Pencil and Leaf blog. From that bee came a commission from a USA enthusiast to paint a set of 16 bees, and it was while researching them that I became aware of all the “other” bees in the world, which are so crucial to the wellbeing of our plants, our crops and of course... us! So when an opportunity arose to have a small exhibition in London in June, it seemed a perfect time to highlight these other, often overlooked, bees.

Solitary bees are important! Apart from the honey and bumble bees there are over 250 different species of solitary bees in the UK. They range from the charming Leafcutter Bees and the industrious mining bees, to the Osmia Mason bees who are so important for orchard fruit pollination and the tiny White Faced Bees who are no bigger than little flies. Their stories are wonderful, they are both fascinating and gentle, and contrary to common misconceptions, very few sting. The exhibition will show 20 bees including the Bumble Bees and old English “Dark ” honey bee, accompanied by some watercolours of flowers they visit, many of which are, of course, herbs.

Megachile Leafcutter Bee (Megachile centuncularis)

Bees and Herbs

In fact it's interesting that many of the flowers that delight the bees also delight us and the connection between bees and herbs is well documented. Rev. L L Langstroth, apiarist clergyman and teacher who was considered the Father of American Beekeeping, said "If there is any plant which would justify cultivation exclusively for bees, it is the borage”, and borage is just one of many herbs that they visit.

Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)

The tiny solitary bees like umbelliferous plants so angelica, fennel and dill will attract them. The bunching together of all those tiny flowers into one inflorescence makes them easy for small bees to access. Dill and fennel will also attract pest eating lacewings and ladybirds too. Daisy like flowers and of course the humble dandelion have similar closely bunched flowers which give bees a nice big banqueting table making the next nectar and pollen stop a very short hop. Mints, sages, thymes, basil and oregano will all attract bees too but of course you must let them flower. I have read that letting herbs flower will reduce the intensity of the flavour but maybe there is a compromise somewhere or just grow twice as many! In fact you can also let a few vegetables run to flower too, especially early salad greens. Bees, like herbs, like sunny sheltered spots. Strong wind can blow little bees off the flowers, even though they do have 6 feet.

Another great advantage to having bees around is just the sound of them! I have a lovely memory from last summer of a particularly drowsy afternoon, sitting in the sun and watching the Red Tailed Bumble bees and the Carder Bees drifting amongst the lavender and chives. I painted both of them for the show.

The Exhibition The exhibition runs from June 1 -26th at the Lumen Gallery, a newly opened beautiful contemplative space in the middle of Bloomsbury. Rather than a private view I will at the Gallery during the second week in June to talk to people about the paintings and bees in general. There will be bee information, gardening and bee flower information, provided by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, BugLife, the Herb Society, and more. We are hoping for a talk about solitary bees and their homes and will be showing the film “the Vanishing of the Bees”. The café will be serving tea and, hopefully, honey and herby treats! Prints and cards of some of the images will be available soon .. please contact me for details…. And lastly BEE AWARE .. they need us more than ever!

Red Tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)

Val Littlewood has been a designer, painter and lecturer for many years and lives in both the UK and USA. For more information about the exhibition please contact her by email. You can see more of the paintings and their progress on her blog Pencil And Leaf