Orange Day. Apis mellifera, Honeybee, and Garden Snail, Cepaea sp., on Xochipatli, Cosmos sulphureus, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Today is Prinsjesdag in The Netherlands, the day that the King annually reads the government's state of the kingdom speech to Parliament. The King, of course, is the head of the House of Orange.
In the photo a Honeybee; she also is doing her thing.
Theoretical writing in the Middle Ages on bees, following Aristotle, thought hives were governed by a King, a male. And that idea held fast except for bee keepers who actually knew different from practice. It wasn't until Charles Butler, an English beekeeper, (1571-1647), and especially our one-time neighbor just down the street in 1673, Jan Swammerdam (1637-1680), that the 'head' of bee colonies was determined to be a Queen.
Joining our Bee in orange necessity on Xochipatli is a Garden Snail. I'm not sure whether a White-lipped one or a young Brown-lipper.
Orange Day. Apis mellifera, Honeybee, and Garden Snail, Cepaea sp., on Xochipatli, Cosmos sulphureus, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Today is Prinsjesdag in The Netherlands, the day that the King annually reads the government's state of the kingdom speech to Parliament. The King, of course, is the head of the House of Orange.
In the photo a Honeybee; she also is doing her thing.
Theoretical writing in the Middle Ages on bees, following Aristotle, thought hives were governed by a King, a male. And that idea held fast except for bee keepers who actually knew different from practice. It wasn't until Charles Butler, an English beekeeper, (1571-1647), and especially our one-time neighbor just down the street in 1673, Jan Swammerdam (1637-1680), that the 'head' of bee colonies was determined to be a Queen.
Joining our Bee in orange necessity on Xochipatli is a Garden Snail. I'm not sure whether a White-lipped one or a young Brown-lipper.