Country diary: following the sun and an awkward ballet of bumblebees

Claxton, Norfolk: Two plants make completely separate responses to the sun and draw an array of flying insects At this time of year I love to watch the sun-oriented movement of my garden. By this I mean the way in which our oxeye daisies and cat's-ear flowers turn in relation to the same source.In what you might call their dormant state, at about 8am - when the day is bright but temperature neutral - the flowers of both, as well as most of my yellow rattle blooms, are all pretty much oriented north-east. Then, as the day fires up, the daisies and cat's-ears drop their heads and tilt due east the better to catch the light. Continue reading...