Out for a Stroll

Dog and I were enjoying the nice weather on Saturday. The ice plant is in full bloom and the fruit trees have the first hints of peaches. Meanwhile, the weather has finally warmed up in Arlington and the class is going well. The jetlag is still causing me some grief but hopefully tonight I'll be able to sleep decently. In the meantime, I managed to retake some of the pictures with the setting sun. They should be nice.

Bee in a Prickly Pear Cactus

What would make a bee dive into a prickly pear cactus? Pollen and lots of it. This little bee is covered head to toe in pollen and nearly every prickly pear flower on the cactus was pollinated. The flowers only last a day or two so they really give their all to attract the bees during their brief moments of glory.

Ironically, it makes you wonder about the analogy of people diving into prickly jobs for extra pay just like bees dive into pollen. For all our intelligence, are we really all that much better than worker bees driven by that last bit of pollen?