Here's the picture of the first crop of corn in my SFG box. The tallest in this planting is now about 5 feet tall and they are all blooming. Every time a breeze comes, dust of pollen falls from the fronds. This morning, I've noticed honey bees busily buzzing away collecting pollen on their legs.
At one point, I saw 5 to 6 bees per corn plant, which was pretty awesome, considering that I have been seeing fewer and fewer of them in recent years. I think many colonies were wiped out when the city did the aerial spraying of mosquito insecticide to control the spread of West Nile virus during one year (2004) where public panic over the disease got a little out of control and the city government chose one unwise path to address the issue. Organic farmers in the surrounding farming community also suffered a huge loss because things could no longer be certified as such. Hummingbirds and quails also saw a drastic decrease in numbers. Imagine my delight when I was able to stand and watch them work and listen to the pleasant hum. It's just a simple view of bees working on corn flowers, but somehow it felt quite life affirming, saying that there are still many good things on this Earth.
