Looking out on a cool late spring morning –yes summer does not arrive until next Sunday when the Solstice occurs at 4:24 Am in our Northern Hemisphere – one can see bumblebees feasting on the flowers that are in bloom. Many are still waiting for the bee balm that will be in bloom soon. There aren’t quite as many as most of us remember in years past but because there are also Mason bees, not to mention the deer poop, I always wear heavy garden shoes.
We think of bees buzzing, a sound that comes from the vibrating of their wings as thy pollinate our crops and gardens. Children’s books like the Berenstain Bears series doesn’t make that clear, but what these books do make clear is that we should not bother a nest for bees are fierce defenders of their home.
Perhaps people should be more like bees rather than yellow jackets, only fighting back when attacked rather than taking on reckless wars with indiscriminate bombing. The world might be a more peaceful place.
Prayer for the Day
God beyond all comprehension,
You pour out your mercy upon us;
Open our eyes blind to the world around us,
And our ears deaf to the cry of nature’s creatures.
Your Holy Spirit is a window to all around us
Breathing your power and your strength on us
In the name of the One who shares your spirit with us
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
The best way to attract a variety of bumblebee species and other pollinators to your yard throughout the season is having a good habitat. That includes providing a variety of native flowers that can bloom from spring to fall and nesting and hibernation locations like piles of leaves, plant stems, sticks, rodent holes, and grass mats.
Jay Watson, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Just as ecosystems need biodiversity to thrive, society needs cultural diversity to grow new possibilities. Monoculture deadens our collective potential.
Favianna Rodriguez, from Harnessing Cultural Power
Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
Sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
Proverbs 16:24