‘The busy bee has no time for sorrow’

The quotation that forms my title is by William Blake. I have no idea whether it’s true that bees have no time for sorrow, but it’s certainly the case that bees are busy. Yesterday, and unforgivably without even my phone as a camera, we saw – or rather heard at first – a brightly yellow hypericum thronged with bees, buzzing energetically, and hurrying round each flower, their pollen sacs already bulging bright and yellow. This YouTube video tells a similar tale:

My own photos come from a friend’s sunflowers …

… and from elsewhere in her garden, as a bee apparently all but drowns in pollen.

For Denzil’s Nature Photo Challenge #17: Bees

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Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

57 thoughts on “‘The busy bee has no time for sorrow’”

      1. Coincidentally, our day out today took us through arable country where the only wildflowers on the roadside were cow parsley in contrast to the diversity of vegetation we enjoy around here. All those years of chemical spraying have wreaked havoc.

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  11. I hope you’ll have a nice time on your trip. You seem to like sharing nice quotes, there is another challenge that you might be into (Words of Wisdom – monthly), whenever you want. Good luck!

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  13. I am very thankful to our bees. I haven’t seen any in our garden this year, though I expect them when the Black-eyed Susan’s bloom in July. Love the sunflowers.

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  14. A lovely reflection on the beauty of bees – your photos are always spectacular, Margaret. I find that watching honeybees work is a calming and meditative experience. They seem to exemplify joy as they move from flower to flower with purpose and efficiency.

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  20. Oh yes, Denzil’s challenge and I forgot. Not so fun when we got back to Navasola. Bees in the bedroom! They have gradually gone but how they got in, a few at a time from what seemed a swarm on the roof, we still do not know.

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    1. Aaagh. It’s so long since you posted this comment (I have no idea how I missed it – sorry) that I hope all is back to normal now. Quite the wrong place for bees, the bedroom.

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      4. What a shame. On the other hand, my daughter (the one who lives in Spain) was at university in Leicester, and we were always looking fir excuses to visit to enjoy all the South Indian vegetarian food on offer!

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  21. Pingback: Your photos of bees – Denzil Nature

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