As Sweet as Honey!

    My daily morning hike takes me around the back of the canebrake and down into the woods to the creek.  This morning, as soon as I passed the cane, a sweet aroma came wafting down around me.  Ahh!  I knew what this was!  I had just passed a clump of palmettos and noticed that they were blooming so that could mean only one thing.  The Gallberry Bushes were in full bloom!  Gallberry or Inkberry Bushes are relatively small shrubs that resemble Blueberry Bushes but are not kin at all.  In fact, these are members of the Holly family.  While I have been told all of my life that the berries of this bush are not to be eaten, the aroma is almost intoxicating!  This is all for good reason as it attracts honeybees by the swarms!  Since I use no insecticides, the bees are free to visit the bushes without any harm coming to them.  

  It is a well-known fact that when bees visit the Gallberry Bushes, the honey they produce is a much bolder honey and has a better shelf life as it does not crystallize near as quickly as other honeys...even in cold weather.  Its distinct taste is favored around here when it can be found. And...I say "around here" simply because the bush seems to grow more prolifically in the warmer climate....it is a "Southern thing"!  Still, finding pure Gallberry Honey is difficult because, as I said, the bush blooms at the same time as many other plants.  Bees are not picky and gather pollen and nectar from most any flower.  

  It seems logical that if we wish to keep bees healthy, their favorite flowering plants should be kept in peak condition.  With all of the clear-cutting happening around here with the building of houses, the bees will soon leave for places left untouched.  This is why I tend to leave our property wild and woolly!  Let the plants grow!  Not only are they good for the bees...they are good for us!