A platter for Gracie, with her favorite color displayed in these roses.

THE ALL IMPORTANT HONEY BEE

Olympus C-4000 4.0 mb refined using iPhoto/Mac

Without our honey bees, will the breeze and the wind be enough to pollinate our crops and flowers of our fruit trees? What happens if the bee disappears and they are not here to do the job that God gave them?  Home gardens can be pollinated by her owners, using a soft brush and tipping into the pollen and them touching the other flowers.  Only the pollen from a male cherry tree will pollinate a female cherry tree. Without pollen-no fruit.  Same with the peach and plum, almond, pecan and walnuts.  That is a great number of flowers to reach and pollinate. 

Between temperature and pesticide attacks the honey bee's population is dwindling.  I don't use pesticides.  When the white fly makes it's appearance, I bring out the vacuum cleaner and I shake the plant and suck those suckers up, then about 10 days later another infestation occurs and I bring that vacuum out again.  I cut all branches that carry the white fly eggs/larva, but all my neighbors white flies are my business too, so I watch and vacuum and cover some of my veggies with bridal toil, this works if I get it on the plants before the eggs have been laid.  Besides, pesticides do not kill white flies.

The African Daisy is fast, easy and fun to paint on porcelain china, as in China Painting.