See Bee-knees!

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, Flowers, GARDENING AT THE HOLLER, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES

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The grapefruit orchard is blooming.
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Perfuming the air with intoxicating scent,
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and bringing hordes of honeybees.
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At night I drift,
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drunk on grapefruit flower air,
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dreaming of the buzzing bees.
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Cheers to you from the Holler Orchards and all the humming honeybees~

178 thoughts on “See Bee-knees!”

      2. Actually, I just googled it and it appears I am wrong. Darn it. I like my reason. It seems the phrase comes from Cockney origins and refers to the fact that bees collect precious pollen on their knees. They actually do this. Who Knew? Not me…..

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      1. Obviously having MCS I use no toxic chemicals — with that I get lots of insects in my yard. Last year I had lots of bumblebees but very few honeybees. Hopefully, they make a comeback this year. i am glad the bees have you to protect them. <3

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    1. Bees don’t tend to sting unless you move fast, make loud noises, or they are annoyed by something else, like seasonal migrations. I used to let them walk on me when I was a kid. I’m always standing still, being quiet, taking photos, so I am not scared of the bees. I was once when they swarmed the hummingbird feeders, but they were agitated due to seasonal migration. I have had a swarm, part like the Red Sea, and fly around me at The Holler. They sounded like a jet plane landing close by. I wasn’t scared then. I was thrilled.

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  15. The scent of citrus flowers must be one of the sweetest smells around and to have so many trees in flower would be a pure delight, sensory overload…

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    1. It does affect your brain in a wonderful way. Makes you feel light and slightly tipsy, maybe just from taking all the deep inhalations through the nose! 😉

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  17. Oh to hear the droning buzz of bees once again. I’ll live vicariously through your post. 😉 You must be in heaven with that sweet scent and sound surrounding you! 🙂

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    1. When we first came to scope out The Holler as a prospective place to live, all the lemon and grapefruit orchards were blooming. I had never smelled anything so ethereal. I’m sure it impacted part of the decision to move here.

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    1. Those busy buzzing bees. Their industry would put me to shame if I wasn’t retired. Retired people have no shame. We lack sufficient brain cells for unproductive emotion….thank God! 😉

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      1. No shame indeed. Here I am, mid-afternoon, drifting around in my pjs, enjoying the loveliness of scent and bees in the Holler. And that’s just fine with me and I am sure the bees don’t give a buzz.

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      2. I fully and wholeheartedly embrace your right to relax! I guess in the interests of good taste we are not too chortle too much about how much we enjoy it, but, we paid our dues big time. I do wish more time for nature and relaxation were given to everyone, especially stressed out full time employees, like I was for decades. Work weeks need to be reduced. It would save so much money in anti-depressants,shrink bills, and sick leave. People need peace and time in nature for their physical and mental well being. It has made such a huge difference in my life and I can tell, yours too.

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    1. Ohhhhhh, when? Please tell me not when we are in Africa! Please email me with the dates and let’s get together this time. You need a break from all the snow!!!

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    1. You must embrace your inner bee Antionette. Come to The Holler my friend and I shall introduce to the hordes, or you could just go shopping!!! 😉 😉 I hope your snow stops soon. Such a intense winter, still continuing…..

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  29. Absolutely beautiful, incredible photos and clear defined details of the honeybees. Just love them. Enjoy the fragrance and colors of spring and warmer days.

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  30. Mmmmm Ahhhhh Grandfather had an acre of his grove in grapefruit(s). The lemon trees were closer to the house. He had a couple of dozen bee hives … the bees just stayed there. You are right, they are NOISY.
    Spring weddings have orange blossom bouquets. Orange blossom toilette water used to be real.
    Thank you for these beautiful images and the deliciously scented memories. Orange blossom honey comb. 😀

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    1. Ahhhhhh, you know how mesmerizing the scent is! Bees are here year round. Pollinating all the time. I should have some hives…….What an intersting idea. The Grapefruit and lemon blossoms are on my beside table. Haaa Choo! It is so worth it~

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  34. Zee bees….., zee bees…, are lurking in the trees
    and everywhere she looks she sees…, zee bees !!!
    The clarity and composition of the pics are without equal, Cindy. You’re fantastic ! 🙂

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  36. Just viewing these photos helps me imagine the sweet floral scent. And the close-ups really pick up the reflection of sunlight off of the fibers of the bees’ furriness! 😀

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  41. Cindy I really must visit the Holler one day..I’m intoxicated by the beauty you share. I miss the somnolent drone if bees going about their business and the smells of fragrant flowers from heavenly trees.
    I fear I missed the signpost directing me to the right hemisphere of the world. (Sigh) Thank heavens for Holler visits.
    Blessings, Susan 💖

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      1. The weather is so nice this week in Rotterdam. I hope it will stay nice until your visit 🙂 I hope you will visit Rotterdam’s Markthall as well – it has huge mural painting of colourful flowers 🙂

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  45. Liebe Cindy ich danke dir für diese wundervollen Grapefuitblüten die habe ich noch nie so schön blühen gesehen und dann mit Bienen einfach super Aufnahmen wünsche dir ein schönes Wochenende in Freundschaft Klaus

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  46. Very nice. I knew about the bees collecting pollen on their legs but never made the connection to the expression. The photos take me way, way back to childhood memories of my grandmother’s back yard in Sacramento: she had a huge, very old grapefruit tree that bore tons of fruit – we’d take home many boxes of them . . . meanwhile, we’ve just had another 8 inches of snow, and it’s 8 degrees out right now!.

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    1. Our trees are about 50 years old too. Oldies are goodies. They bear a lot of fruit! Eeeeks, it is time for spring already. I so wish we could take some of your precipitation!

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  50. Stunning photos, Cindy! I can almost smell the beauty. We’re supposed to warm up this coming week (50s maybe), but we’re a LONG way from anything this pretty!!

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  54. Was in your area until yesterday. Recent rains has desert in full bloom. Looked great. Nice pictures of the flowers and bees, keep them coming. A.G.

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    1. I was hoping you might glance at the post! I had no idea. But now that you mention it yes, no pollen is being deposited on their legs and they are drinking nectar. I need to pay attention to the difference. I am going to google this to learn more……Thank you for pointing it out and hope your hives are happy. Very glad you stopped by so I could learn something new!

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      1. Whether a flower provides pollen or not is quite complicated and depends on the particular species. Some tree species contain a mix of male and female flowers on an individual tree, while some (like holly) will be entirely male or female and others will produce flowers that contain both male and female parts. The male stamens produce the pollen – I think I can see some in your photos above.

        Whether you see honey bees carrying pollen in their baskets is further complicated by the fact that not all honey bees specialise in collecting pollen – most foraging bees will focus on collecting nectar and then smaller numbers will focus either on only collecting pollen or a mixture of pollen and nectar.

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      2. Fascinating. Thank you for taking the time to explain the incredible, and intricate life of bees.and flowers. I hope your hives are doing well & cheers to you! <3

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  56. I remember, as a child, our almond trees blooming with their delightful smell and humming honey bees. I’d sit under the trees with a good book and enjoy the experience. Thanks for the fun photos and memories. –Curt

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    1. Yep, I loved bees as a child too. I used to cup them in two hands and let them crawl on my arms and legs. I never got stung. We have almond trees that grow near the holler. Beautiful flowers, that produce, although they are abandoned trees. I should collect the nuts and see what they are like, but there are a lot of abandoned fruit trees out here that produce, and I only pick some…..

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      2. Today I finally got a bunch of pics of a 16 inch alligator lizard. The second one I’ve seen this long. The first one was longer but I didn’t get a pic, I was too surprised!

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    1. Blooming citrus groves are pure nirvana aren’t they! If you haven’t experienced it, there is no way to describe it. Light, yet completely ethereal. Cheers & hugz to you Lea. Hope life is being good to you in France my firend~ <3 <3

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      1. They are. I grew up surrounded by orange groves. That town no longer has any orange groves and I think it is so sad. Cheers to you Cindy and things are well here, if not a bit hectic at times but that is life. Are you back in France anytime soon? There is always much to see and do and your camera shows it all off so well. 🙂 x

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      2. Heading to Europe & Africa soon, but not France during this swing unfortunately. Your childhood orange groves sound divine. I remember them up and down the state. So sorry most are gone~

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  64. I wish I could smell that glorious smell Cindy but I’m glad to have been able to share the rest of the experience through your wonderful words and photos. Thank you.

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    1. So glad, the bees had to share the spotlight with flowers in these photos because the combination of the bees and scented flowers is just ethereal to experience. I am so pleased this came across to you my friend & cheers to you~

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      1. Ah. That makes sense. I spent a lot of time last summer chasing them from sunflower to sunflower, pumpkin to pumpkin. It was then that I learned the buzzing stopped when they gather nectar, then begins again as they depart the bloom. Isn’t it all just fascinating?

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    1. Oh, was fur ein Zufall! Ich war in diesem Museum und wurde jemandem daruber zu erzahlen, aber ich konnte mich nicht erinnern, wo es war! So glucklich haben Sie es gefunden fur mich! Vielen Dank Ernst~ <3

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