February Flowers in South Carolina

Fruit Blossoms in February

Backyard fruit trees are a minor source of nectar and pollen for bees. Where a large number of fruit trees exist in one spot, such as in an orchard, they can become a major source.

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Pear Pyrus communis (Just in case you think we are cheating, and took these pear pictures somewhere farther north, here's a picture of a pear branch with a beard of spanish moss.)	Click to enlarge	Pears are a minor source of nectar and pollen, but bee activity is extremely important for fruit production. Pear growers use some tricks to get bees to work these low-sugar blossoms, when richer nectar sources are available. Pollinators Observed: Honeybees, carpenter bees, mason bees
King bloom	Apple Malus sylvestris Pollinators Observed: Honeybees, syrphid flies. The king bloom is the first blossom of each cluster to open. Clusters are normally 5 blossoms; but some sports, such as this Granny Smith have six.	Honeybee with pollen pellets Click to enlarge
Plum Prunus domestica Pollinators Observed: Honeybees, carpenter bees, mason bees, megachilid bees, syrphid flies, skippers, one bumblebee queen.	Click to enlarge	Among the many honeybees foraging on this plum tree were some of a somewhat unusual gray color. Most honeybees have some tan or yellow, but these did not. There are no kept honeybees of this color in the area. The bees kept in this neighborhood are an Italian strain of honeybee with a leather to gold color.
Click to enlarge	Peach Prunus persica Pollinators Observed: Honeybees, carpenter bees, mason bees, syrphid flies.
	(More photos coming)

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