Since mid November this giant Oregon Grape Holly, (mahonia aquifolium) has been blooming and it’s likely to keep blooming into January the way the weather has been. Most people can’t believe it, but I’m happy to see so many of my bees getting nourishment from it. How do I know they’re mine? I’m sure I recognized them. 🙂
Adventures in Natural Beekeeping 
It’s great to see so much still in bloom!
With any luck, we’ll have rosemary blooming into February when the pussy willows start up. I noticed that the hebes are still in bloom too.
Around here what’s blooming in December is nothing, although our forsythia seems to have been considering it during our brief warm spell. I think we are at approximately the same latitude. Is it the Pacific that keeps your area warmer?
We are at 43Ë™ latitude. It’s the ocean currents that keep us relatively warm in winter and cool in summer. You just gotta love the Oregon Coast. That said, I don’t ever expect to get loads of honey because the summers ARE cool. Nights can get down to the high 40’s sometimes. As you go inland the winters get colder.
What a lovely video! Steve Montana’s music was great. I loved your American bumble bee, it was the first time I had seen a video of it. Your bees are cute too. I have just planted two Mahonias this year but still babies compared to you lovely mature specimen. Amelia
We planted a Mahonia in May. It’ll take years to get to the size of that one at the post office, but I’m hoping it’ll start blooming before that. It ought to be fun watching it mature.
Hey, I see you found a fatsia! Good to have the opportunity to view a much better quality video. I am still unsure about whether flies can be considered pollinators–are they drinking nectar, taking and distributing pollen, or both? Steve’s great, at least you can get him to sit still, unlike the insects….
Last month that fatsia had some honeybees on it, but mostly it attracted flies. In my experience, I’ve seen flies on ‘white’ blossoms like plum, cherry, buckwheat, alyssum. The syrphid fly looks just like bee. I’ve learned the difference though…when they sip nectar, their abdomens pump up and down. You can see it at a distance even with my somewhat not-so-sharp eyesight.
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/animals/flies.shtml
I can’t really say that flies pollinate, but they do sip nectar.
As the end of the year fast approaches like a busy bee, I’ve really enjoyed reading your blog and look forward to more nature stories in the new year. Happy Christmas 🙂
It always makes me so glad to see the bees buzzing around in your videos. I love the shots in the pink heather, just perfect!
It looks like a tropical paradise compared to the snow we have woken up to 🙂 Enjoyed Steve’s rendition, now I just hoping the sun does come!
All the very best for Christmas and New Year Pat, I hope you and family are having a relaxing and enjoyable time.
Ah, the sun returned for all the relatives’ visits…both in-laws and outlaws stopped by for walks on the beach, conversations around the wood stove, and tours of the bee hives!