Frenzied Foraging
The poppies have bloomed. I have to say that they are suspiciously beautiful, in a way reminiscent of an Alice in Wonderland character. Strangely fascinating. The honeybees are particularly amazed. I’m already anticipating their day-after-Christmas blues when the last petal falls and there is no more pollen to gather.
A quick bit of research led me to a honeybee foraging study. “Results showed significantly higher foraging response of honeybees (Apis mellifera) in genetically divergent narcotic plant opium poppy (Papaver somniferum)…” Interesting. I planted these flowers for their unique form, cool casules and tasty seeds. I hadn’t planned to intoxicate the local bee population.
Volume 97, Issue 13, September 2006, Pages 1578–1581
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About the Author: Emily Murphy
