One of the reasons I grow passionflower is to serve as a bartender to bees. They love the rich nectar of this showy blossom so much that they get drunk on it. The first sign is when the bee simply sits on the barstool without moving. Next, they get disoriented and can’t seem to navigate the bar, … read more Drunken bees
Tag: bees
Sex in the forest
The forest fairly screams with sex these days. Flowers are sticking their parts out, begging to be fertilized. Hey there, bee, you wanna give it a go? And yes it is sex – it’s a reproductive act and there are male and female parts involved. Today it was the skullcap, seducing with its purple hood: Whorled milkweed, … read more Sex in the forest
The early spring
The weather’s been delightfully sunny, for March – 70s and even low 80s. The flowers jumped right up, fruit trees burst into blossom, and the carpenter bees began their war dance of mating – a full week or more before the official start of spring. I am astonished that it’s so warm I need to … read more The early spring