In Praise Of The Bee

I come from a time when the only real important 'Days' of the year were your Birthday, Christmas Day, the first Day of Summer Vacation, and Happy Days.  Now, it seems that there is a Day for everything under the sun.  Some of them are quite frivolous, but for others, I am willing to join in with.  Such is the case with May 20th, which is World Bee Day.  The day was chosen as it was the birthday, all the way back in 1734, of Anton Janša.  He is considered to be the pioneer of beekeeping and the day serves to remind us all of the important role that Bee's play in our daily life.  Without the Bee, we would be without many of the foods we enjoy through the act of pollination.  We may have had a rocky relationship when I was younger, but I've grown to appreciate the Humble Bumble Bee and spend a great amount of time letting The Heir Apparent know the difference between this winged friend and his much more annoying cousin, the wasp.  We enjoy watching them fly around the yard in the Spring, and I enjoy taking photographs of them later in the Summer as they enjoy our vast selection of Sunflowers.  The photograph was taken at f/6.3, 1/125sec, ISO 100 at 200mm with some flash to brighten things up and add that little sparkle to his eyes.  While I wouldn't suggest hugging a Bee, you can let some of those Spring wildflowers grow in your yard as it will provide them with a nice little snack.  They'll be happy, and in the long run, so will we all.