Posts Tagged: blossoms
Robbin Thorp Began His Career Studying Honey Bees and Almonds

Yes, he began his career studying honey bees. The late Robbin Thorp, the renowned UC Davis...
A honey bee packing pollen and nectaring on an almond blossom at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
In his retirement, Robbin Thorp co-authored two books, "Bumble Bees of North America: An Identification Guide" and "California Bees and Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Robbin Thorp (left), legendary authority on bees, shows UC Davis alumnus Alex Wild the "Miss Bee Haven" sculpture in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's bee garden on Bee Biology Road. Wild, who received his doctorate in entomology at UC Davis, is the curator of entomology at the University of Texas, Austin. This image was taken in 2008. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Beauty of a Day: Bumble Bees in Benicia

If there's anything better than seeing honey bees foraging on almond blossoms, it's this: Bumble...
A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii,heads for an almond blossom in Benicia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, nectaring on almonds in Benica. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A yellow thorax and face help identify Bombus vosnesenskii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A wing of Bombus vosnesenskii glistens in the sun. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A yellow abdominal stripe helps characterize Bombus vosnesenskii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Time to go! Bombus vosnesenskii departs one blossom for another. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
'A' is for Almonds and 'B' is for Bees and Bradford Pear Blossoms

No, it's not Valentine's Day, yet. Yes, the almonds are blooming. No, it's not spring. But it...
Benicia resident Gordon Hough captured this image of a bee nectaring on a Pyrus calleryana (Bradford pear or another cultivar) at the Benicia State Recreation Area on Monday, Jan. 21, as identified by Daniel Potter, UC Davis professor of plant sciences.
Almonds are blooming in Benicia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Orange Blossom Special

If you like oranges, you can thank a honey bee. Oranges are 90 percent dependent on honey bees for...
A honey bee pollinating an orange blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
One bee forages while another takes flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of honey bee on an orange blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Carpenter Bees Like Almond Blossoms, Too

We're accustomed to seeing honey bees pollinating the almonds. But carpenter bees do, too. We...
A female Valley carpenter bee buzzes in the almond blossoms. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Full speed ahead: carpenter bee sights an almond blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Female Valley carpenter bee meets almonds blossom. She's shaking her thoracic muscles to loosen the pollen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)