Charles Darwin on Staffordshire bumblebees

Charles Darwin, on the bumblebees of North Staffordshire...

"I have said that country humble-bees appear to be less cunning than London ones, yet I confess I saw this June, in Staffordshire, some in the act of cutting holes at the base of the corolla of the Rhododendron azaleoides; the greater number entered the mouth of the corollas, as indeed was evident from the quantity of pollen on the stigma, brought by the bees from neighbouring azaleas - this hybrid not having a single grain of pollen of its own. One bee was seen which entered the mouth of some of the flowers and cut holes in others; this shows that the orifices are made simply to save trouble, and not because the bee cannot extract the nectar from the long tube." — The Gardeners' Chronicle, 21st August 1841.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Seed and Bulb Swap

Newcastle-under-Lyme seed-swap event, coming soon. Also on Facebook.

AirSpace: food and growing residency

Hanley's AirSpace Gallery is offering a £500 artist's residency in June 2016. AirSpace is seeking an artist whose topic is food and growing, in post-industrial cities. They're especially curious about why many artists and creatives in the Potteries are interested in such topics.

Allotment art weekend

Fab allotment arts happening this weekend, a few miles up the valley at Trubshaw Cross, near Burslem.

Old photos of Stoke station

Another selection of Bert Bentley pictures, courtesy of The Sentinel. Many are of Stoke town and Boothen. Here's a selection from this latest batch, showing Stoke train station and the North Staffs Hotel opposite...

Allotment arts under construction at Trubshaw Cross

Allotment arts happening up at Trubshaw Cross allotments, near Burslem, with local artist Chris Oldham...

Old photos of Stoke town and Boothen

Lots of pictures of Stoke town and Boothen, in The Sentinel's latest batch of Bert Bentley pictures...

London Road. Was probably very pleasant, back when there was vastly less traffic.

Spode, south entrance.

Main run of shops, with shelters (bus, cinema queue?) lining the pavement.

Free trees for Staffordshire

The Woodland Trust's First World War Centenary Woods Project has so far delivered 9,315 free trees to Staffordshire, with around half going to schools. Schools and community groups can now apply for free tree packs for Spring 2016, sponsored by Sainsbury’s / Yorkshire Tea and the Lottery. The tree packs will be sent out between 7th-11th March 2016.

Boothen and Stoke town old photos

Boothen and Stoke town in times gone by in The Sentinel and online, in nearly 100 photos that until recently were sitting in dusty boxes in the city archives...

Pilgrim's Pit, opening soon in Stoke town

Pilgrim's Pit, a new creative/music venture in the Art Stop in Stoke town. Not quite open yet, but actively renovating and painting up now...

On Facebook here and on YouTube here.