WHERE THE FARMHOUSE AND THE DOGHOUSE ARE ONE AND THE SAME

Thursday, April 18, 2013

The Berries and the Bees: The Miracle of Pollination

There aren't many things I enjoy more than watching the blueberry bushes progress from bud to berry.  It's fascinating to see the bees work their magic, transferring pollen from blossom to blossom.  There are hundreds of thousands of flowers to pollinate, and I think they manage to take care of them all.  Bees are so underrated.  
I'd like to share this miraculous process with you from beginning to end.

Depending on the weather, the buds generally begin to swell in late March.

Beginning in early April, each bud separates into a cluster of several individual flowers.

These flowers are just about ready to bloom.

Open, ready and waiting for just the right bee to come along.

The bees have just begun their work this week, and they'll continue to pollinate the blossoms for another week or two.

There are six hives at the orchard, and I didn't see any honey bees in the blueberries this evening.  Maybe it was just the wrong time of day.  But no worries, the bumble bees were kicking ass and taking names.

 I think this one was giving me the evil eye.

These blossoms have been pollinated and most of the petals have fallen off.  Can you see the berries forming?

This is what we'll have in just a few weeks from now!

And I think you know how the rest of this story goes...


We'll be picking in early July!




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