The Drone

A drone's work is never done.  You probably know the term "worker bee."  They do all the work, build the hive, fetch the pollen and nectar, plus a lot more.  And you've probably heard about the queen, who has the very big task of birthing all the little bees.  But drones, what do they do?  Drones are the carriers of the next generation.  They fly out to find queens from other colonies and pass along their genes....thus insuring the continuity of the honey bee race, and of their particular colony.

If ever a plant has received a raw deal, it's the Common Dandelion.  Considered a pesky weed by modern homeowners, it was once a culinary delicacy.  So here's a thought:  Instead of killing them, cultivate them.  Try their flowers as a wine, or their leaves in a salad.  In fact, the Dandelion leaf is how the plant gets its name.  In old French, dent-de-lion means "lion's tooth," a great description of the leaves' signature shape.

Connect the Dots

Bees seem to have the ability to recognize dots, a skill they utilize for distinquishing between nectar-rich and plain old flowers.  Though it's likely more pattern recognition than actual counting, bees can reliably tell the difference between patterns of two, three and four dots.  Dots appear on a variety of plants like Jewelweed and Foxglove, which may form a simple nector quide, inviting the bees in for a quick sip.

This is a Flowering Quince:  Mixing beauty and more than a little brawn, the Flowering Quince is probably best thought of as a garden shrub.  A hearty, sturdy plant, it requires little care or attention.  And it's generally one of the first to stick out a tentative spring bloom in most climates.  Originally known as Japonica, it moves from blossom to a pear-like fruit that makes a tart and tasty jam.

Originally printed in A Bee Lover's Garden calendar.

Bee Brains & Bee Flowers

Don't underestimate the bee brain.  Bees are considered to be among the smartest in the insect kingdom,  with their highly developed colonies, and the hierarchies that exist therein.  In fact, though the brain of a bee is only a cubic millimeter, it has the densiest neurophile tissue (the stuff that makes our brains work) of any animal.  That includes us too.

This plant is Borage, and is nicknamed "bee's bread" because bees love its nectar-rich blooms.  This is the herb plant for those with great taste and who like to taste their plants too.  The hardy annual has leaves that taste like cucumber, and planting them near tomatoes actually improves your tomato's flavor.  Mainly, the bees would love you if you planted some Borage.