oh, my bees...

I've been reading about the bee demise for a few months, and it's been worrying, but abstract.

Yesterday, I went with dreams_of_wings and aatish2 to Heritage Gardens (formerly Heritage Plantation of Sandwich) to see the rhododendrons and azaleas at peak bloom - though it seems peak is coming a bit late this year and will likely be this weekend or early next week. We got there at 3:40pm and left at 5:10pm, so we spent about an hour and a half walking around. It was a warm sunny day, and beautiful.

I saw one bee.

It's been a few years since I last went, but I've gone there during peak bloom at least three times before, possibly more. One of my clearest recurring memories of those visits has been the buzzing of the bees near the entrance.

[ photos from yesterday - I'll upload more soon ]