Apricot trees blooming at Arboreteum 1-13-13

[pholcomb]

See pic below of Apricot trees in bloom at the Greensboro Arboreteum today. Around 2 pm the blooms were being heavily foraged by honey bees. (Hopefully some of them were my bees.) I believe apricots don't normally bloom until late Feb. Apricots produce not only pollen but nectar. With the forecast calling for above freezing temps for at least the next week, those of us who live near the arboreteum will enjoy a miniature mid-winter nectar flow for several more days. Pretty weird.

Paul

[pholcomb]

Also in bloom and attracting bees was another sweet-smelling nectar-producing plant called Wintersweet.

Paul

[Jacobs]

A good number of my bees were headed in that direction from my back yard today, but it is just short of 2 miles to the arboretum. I expect they were getting their pollen/nectar somewhere closer.