Foto Friday - The Secret Life of Bees

The honey bee,
a gatherer of pollen and sweet nectar,
and maker and hoarder of honey.
Where the queen, drone and worker
live in a social community,
and the honeycomb is the hub of the hive.
We marvel at perfectly shaped hexagon cells
made of beeswax
that this engineering genius can make.
They have learned to communicate
through a dance language,
that relays the location of their floral findings.
Where the worker bee gathers
and brushes the pollen,
into baskets on the fringe of their hind legs. 
Back to the hive
building and protecting,
and busy turning nectar to honey.
The honey bee,
a fascinating insect and pollinator,
plays a vital role in our natural world,
and fills me with wonder.
                                                 -Kim

 Morning is the best of all times in the garden.

The sun is not yet hot. Sweet vapors rise from the earth.

Night dew clings to the soil and makes plants glisten.

Birds call to one another. Bees are already at work.

- William Longgood

Most people when they think of the honey bee probably just think of bee stings and honey. But they're so much more than that. They are the most important pollinating insect and responsible for all the wonderful fruits and vegetables we enjoy along with the beautiful flowers. Within their social community they each have their own purpose and can only survive as a member of the colony each dependant on the other for survival. The colony consists of the queen, the drone, and the worker bee. The queen for reproduction, the drone for mating with the queen, and the worker for building and maintaining the nest and for caring for the brood. A healthy colony can average between 40,000 and 80,000 bees.

The careful insect 'midst his works I view,

Now from the flowers exhaust the fragrant dew,

With golden treasures load his little thighs,

And steer his distant journey through the skies.

- John Gay

Give and Take

For to the bee a flower is a fountain of life,

and to the flower the bee is a messenger of love.

And to both, bee and flower,

the giving and receiving is both a need

and an ecstasy.

- Kahlil Gibran

Bees work for man, and yet they never bruise their master's flower,

but leave it having done,

as fair as ever and fit to use;

So both the flower doth stay and honey run.

- George Herbert

Have you ever watched closely a bee gather pollen - it's quite fascinating,

and they really don't mind!

Bees inside the hive will fan their wings in order to maintain a perfect 95 degrees and to increase the evaporation of water from the nectar. For an insect whose lifespan is only 4-6 weeks (in the spring and summer months) the worker bee, all female by the way, are busy little bees who are highly organized and extremely efficient.

For so work the honey bees,

creatures that by a rule in nature teach

the act of order to a peopled kingdom.

- William Shakespeare

(Do you think anyone is listening?)

My Haiku:

The honey bee a hoarder

Works to gather pollen and sweet nectar

Share your honey with me

I love the honey bee, find insects fascinating, and perhaps should have been an Entomologist

or a science teacher! Nature is a wonderful instructor if only we would pay attention.

I see the hand print of God in the honey bee,

in the miraculous systems they possess,

and the artistry in which they create!!

I wish you all the sweetest of weekends and may it be filled with bisquits and honey!!

Love, Kim

XO



Foto Friday and Some Randomness in Galveston....

 I say randomness because the only theme here is that I took all of these pictures in Galveston this week.

I love going to Galveston not only because of the water and the beach, but there is just so much to see and do. And although my pictures don't quite reflect it this week, there is just so much history and architecture.

This first picture was taken in Willie G's a restaurant off Pier 21 and Harborside. These glass globes hang down the center of the entire restaurant.

 




And when you take a girl with a camera to a restaurant you never know what she'll take a picture of!

I found it quite fun and a bit inviting that these ice cubes had holes in them and yes before I knew it my kids did too!!

So there ya have it, ice  Kabob's. I'm really just a simple girl at heart who is easily entertained and refuses to the let the child in me wither and die.

Before we ate at Willie G's we went on on dolphin cruise and although we didn't see many dolphins I was able to capture one of my favorite coastal birds, the Brown Pelican.

He was coasting right along side of our boat.

  

 

And then there was this one, stretching or ? 

Then we walked along the Strand. The Strand is in Galveston's historic downtown district and

has a variety of restaurants, galleries, museums, and shops in beautiful historic buildings.

There is even a life size chess set that is almost always in use.

And at just about every corner you can grab a horse drawn carriage ride.

 

A random door. . .

I couldn't decide on the full door or the closeup of the wreath.

And you can't go to The Strand without going to La King's Confectionery! It dates back to the 1920's and they still have a 1920's soda fountain where they serve malts, shakes, ice cream sodas, and all the favorite fountain drinks. It was very crowded when we there, well more like wall to wall people, which made it very difficult to get any other pictures. I don't know about you but there is just something about a candy store that brings back fond childhood memories, like penny candy.

The past revealed . . .

And then there was this sign at the stairs going into a restaurant!!

Which brings me to this picture!! I liked her glasses and asked her if I could take her picture.....

But it's really not what it looks like, haha. She did say yes, it's just that she put

up the peace sign right when I took the picture and well, I only got one finger!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone, and remember to behave

or just don't get caught misbehavin'!!

Love, Kim

XO

A Witness to Spring's Renewal

Spring brings with it a unique energy reflecting the magnificent beauty of nature
and its vibrant release from the constraints of winter.

As nature reawakens there is an animated period of growth

and we are privileged to bear witness to this orchestra of transformation.

Where renewal is an intrinsic part of nature and hope springs forth with the anticipation of new beginnings.
And so for me, Spring is not only my favorite time of year, but also a time of personal spiritual growth

and when all five of my senses become completely intoxicated.

And so it goes, I was witness to one of Spring's renewals a weekend ago. We were

weeding and doing all of those things you do in your yard when spring arrives. I was doing a final raking

of leaves and weeds when out of the corner of my eye I saw something move (gasp).

And this is what I saw:

A pupa that had started its eclosion. Excited I was!

 

  This is what it looked like in it's larval stage, as a caterpillar:

In the fall, I had found these caterpillars feasting on my penta plants, until all that was left were stems! But they quickly grew back and flowered again! So now that I know what these caterpillars become, I will be buying more pentas for the garden this year!

So I took it inside and layed it on a paper towel on the bar top while I went upstairs

to research how long it may take for it to emerge. I think I had been upstairs for about

twenty minutes when my daughter said, "Mom, what happened to this thing it's in two pieces. It looks

like it was cut in half?" In a panic I ran downstairs to find this:

Oh my, an empty pupa casing! I was quite sad that I had missed the whole thing, but I would have

been even more sad if I hadn't been able to find it.

But there it was, hanging on a ribbon that layed across a stack of books only inches

away from where it had emerged. Now just look at that cute face!!!!

It was going to be cold that night, so I kept it inside and decided to let it go in the morning.

His wings were still drying.

In the morning I took it outside to my front porch and put it down on the coffee table. It sure wasn't in any hurry to get anywhere.


 It turns out that this is a Tersa Sphinx Moth also know as a hawk moth because of the slender

shape of their wings and of the wings resemblance to a hawk. Their wings span is about 3 inches.

I couldn't help myself, I just had to pick it up! 

 

After it had been in my hands for a little while, I started feeling a slight vibration

and quickly realized that he was vibrating his wings.

 

The vibrations and wing movements got progressively bigger and bigger. Ya know,  it's a bit difficult

to hold a camera in one hand and try to change your settings. So these pictures aren't ideal but I'm thrilled to have captured it. They can fly at speeds up to 25 mph and their wings beat at 25-30 beats per second!
These guys are incredible fliers and have the unique ability to hover causing them to be

mistaken for hummers. And just like hummingbirds they also drink nectar from deep-throated flowers.

Before I knew it he had taken off......

Bon voyage my little friend!!

Foto Friday - Inspirations of Spring

Ever since I can remember, probably middle school, I have loved and collected quotes! They are inspiring and thought provoking. Most of these pictures I took this week, but I do confess that I pulled in some from my stash to help fill a few quotes.

I had also intended to post some other pictures this week of something that was quite exciting for me but just ran out of time. It will be coming soon, I promise.

With the coming of spring it is going to be harder and harder to just stick to foto Friday, so I'm sure I'll be posting a lot more pictures in the weeks to come.

April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks go. 

- Christopher Morley

It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! 

- Mark Twain

Spring is nature's way of saying, "let's party!" 

- Robin Williams

Spring makes it's own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments not the composer.  - Geoffrey B. Charlesworth

If you have never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom. 

- Terri Guillemets

Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems.

- Rainer Maria Rilke

The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created spring. 

- Bern Williams

Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night. 
- Rainer Maria Rilke

Fairies are invisible and inaudible like angels. But then magic sparkles in nature. 

- Lynn Holland

I hope you enjoy the inspirations that Spring brings. Have a fabulous weekend!

Love, Kim

XO