Holly and Honey

When we were lucky enough at our bee club to have a visit with the palynologist, Dr. Paul Arnold, I had the opportunity to have him analyze my honey. He examined a sample of my honey and according to his analysis, one of the key ingredients in my honey was pollen from holly. I had never even noticed that holly had a bloom. I've fully appreciated the lovely red berries in the fall, but I had not paid attention to the blooms.

Well, today I noticed that my holly is blooming and smells luscious. If I were a bee, I'd bury my head in a bloom and never leave, the smell is so sweet. I took a regular picture and a close up of the bloom. Looking at the close-up, you can see the nectar sources for the bee.

The male flower has four stamens, each of which produces pollen for the bee to pick up. The female flower has a large green ovary. You can see both the stamens and the ovary in the pictures below. If you'd like to learn more about the holly and bees, you can read it here.

I tried to get a picture of the honeybee who was visiting the plant at the time, but it didn't come out in good focus. Maybe I'll be luckier tomorrow.