Saturday, March 6, 2010

Wildlife Weekend :: The Broccoli and the Bees

I accidentally let my big broccoli plant flower in February. I don't really go outside when temperatures dip into the 30s and 40s, so before I knew it my broccoli plant was a mess of yellow blooms and all I could do was watch from my heated living room. I knew there was no way to prevent it from blooming without braving the insanely cold temperatures and possibly slipping into a hypothermic coma...so I just let it happen.


When I finally did venture outside I noticed that the plant was alive with bees. At one point I counted over 20 bees on it going from flower to flower in a mad rush to get as much nectar as possible from the only flowering thing around.



I figured the rest of the garden was pretty much dead so the least I could do was let this flowering broccoli thrive to feed this mass of bees. It lasted for a good month before it wilted and the bees went away.


I then yanked it out and tossed it in the compost. It was definitely great while it lasted though - the bees seemed happy to have something to buzz around in this insanely cold winter. And I enjoyed watching them.

7 comments:

Meems said...

Hmmm... this makes me wonder when you planted your broccoli?? Mine isn't even attempting to flower yet. I sure love those bee shots and you have to be happy about attracting so many in the dead of winter.
Happy march!
Meems

Christa said...

Great photos!

Dani said...

Great pics Kate! I love watching them go about their work. Busy, busy, busy.

Jeff Vandiver said...

I've never seen broccoli flowers before, they're actually pretty. Great pictures of the bees....

Annie*s Granny said...

You made me want to grow broccoli just for the flowers!

Stefaneener said...

Oh, yes, you should so definitely be careful about not freezing to death instantly - stay indoors, huddled around your heater. I hear living in Florida makes your blood so thin that even opening the refrigerator might be hazardous to your health.

The bee closeups are terrific. Nice work.

Momma_S said...

Wonderful pictures! I want your camera...

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