11.10.2011
Bumble bees in my lemon tree!
We've been having frosty nights and sunny, warm days, so I've been carting my potted Meyer lemon out to the back porch coffee table each morning, and then back inside in the afternoon. The tree is in full bloom right now, and since pickings are slim for pollinators in November, it attracts whoever is out there roaming around. I hope my diligent carting will result in a tiny crop of late-winter lemons.
I forgot to bring the pot in until last night, in the dark, when I returned it to its perch in the kitchen window, and then went to bed. In the morning, with coffee water a'boiling and eggs a'scrambling... something started a'buzzing. Loudly! And in irritation!
Unbeknownst to me, three jumbo-sized bumble bees had fallen asleep in their supper bowls last night, and just then woken up in my bright, warm, lemon-blossom-scented kitchen. Oh, my.
Matt and I carried out a successful catch-and-release for each bee, and I went back to making our breakfast. When I next stepped onto the back porch, there was an irate bumble out there, buzzing madly at the kitchen window... separated from its dear, sweet lemon tree by a pesky pane of glass. Another bumble crawled across the coffee table and flung itself forlornly into the ashtray, where a blossom had fallen the day before. It buried its snout in between the dirty petals and slumped there.
I carted the lemon back out, and everyone dedicated themselves to energetic foraging, until they fell asleep in their flowers, early afternoon.

2 comments:
Bees do love their citrus nectar! I can just imagine how confused they were when they woke up to the aroma of fresh brewed coffee, and scrambled eggs!
Oh, what a fun post. I'm convinced that bumblebees are total hedonists, the way they fall asleep on their food. And it makes breakfast so easy the next morning.
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