Billy Heroman’s Flowers & Gifts is an enormous fan of bees, and you should be too. Why? Well, they’re responsible for pollinating 70 of the top food crops we eat from. They help give us everything from avocados to coffee to flax to sweet, sweet mango. Simply put, our tables wouldn’t look the same without them, whether we’re talking food or flowers. These little workers have a big impact on our lives and on the planet. So what brings all the bees to the yard?
Turns out, there are some flowers that are just more attractive to bees, and that’s because they’ve evolved to be. Bees prefer flowers that are purple, blue, yellow or white. Though they can’t see as many colors as we can, they can see a broader range of color because they perceive ultraviolet light. This means they can pick up on patterns we can’t see, and flowers know it. Many have visual guidance systems that point bees right to the nectar, which is key, since getting to that nectar keeps the bees alive as well as flowers. As they drink the nectar, bees pick up pollen, storing it in little pouches in their legs. When they arrive at the next flower, they deposit this pollen, which contains a flower’s male genetic material. And voila! A flower is fertilized and can create more seeds, keeping the cycle going.
Even if you aren’t maintaining your own hive or a bee-friendly garden, you can support the ones in your community. Buy local honey and local flowers. Give your patronage to local farmers and growers. And celebrate the sunflower and its brethren in your own home, creating a Garden Collection on your kitchen counter.