[ESP/ENGL] Flores del solar

• The first: I am an informal breeder of native bees, (melipona), although, I still do not have a meliponarium as such, I try to have these insects nest in my plot, and I respect the hives that are inside my house, in a room and in the entrance (there are two), and I think they are forming a third hive, because last week I noticed the dance they do when they make a new honeycomb. Flowers are vital for bees, and other pollinators, hence their presence is fundamental for the subsistence of these valuable insects.

• The second: It is beautiful to see the flowers and smell their scent, plus they are the precursors of fruit, and since I harvest part of my livelihood, the fact that the plants bloom makes me very happy.

It is now, in the month of June 2022 that the rains are being a bit more copious and constant in my area. This has been a blessing, as my plants are thus able to recover from the long drought of the months without rain, and can express their full potential in the best way. Thus, two of the three tangerine saplings have greened up, flowered, and even the largest of them has dozens of small fruits that I hope will grow healthy, strong and sweet. The yellow currants have flowered and are full of many bunches of fruit, ideal for making delicious juices, sweets, ice cream and extracts. The few remaining musaceae are slowly recovering, with new offspring being born and the few remaining large plants are hardening off, although they have not yet borne acorns. The guava and the red cherries have flowered and will soon bear fruit. The small lemon tree has also recovered, as has the cocoa. All this is important so that the bees, wasps, bumblebees and hummingbirds will have nectar and pollen to eat, and then we humans will have some of that blessing.

Throughout these last two weeks, I have dedicated myself to photographing this explosion of nature. With this photographic exercise, I am nourished by the energy and aroma of these beautiful flowers, which I think is relevant to share with all of you. We begin with the flowers of ixora (Ixora coccinea), which are so resistant that even in the worst conditions, their flowers are born, however with the rains, they are even more abundant, and although of a beautiful red color, they lack odor, however on occasions I have seen butterflies, bees and hummingbirds approach them.

Another flower that bees like very much is the so-called Quelite de Monte, (Talinum paniculatum), which is also liked by morrocoyes or tortoises. The bees forage their flowers from the early hours of the morning, since at noon they are closed until the next day. Here is the largest plant I have of them, this one is pale lilac, although there are also yellow ones.

Then there are the delicate flowers of the guava, with their long pistils and their whiteness. These contrast with the pomegranate flowers, with their vibrant orange color that is sometimes deep red. Bees also really like these flowers, especially meliponas. These two species of flowers are also odourless.

On the backyard, there are several tarare trees, also known as uvito, caujaro or cautaro, (Cordia dentata). These trees bloom when there is rain, at this time, with bouquets of bone-colored flowers, whose scent is very reminiscent of that of a rosebush. These flowers then become translucent white fruits, containing a mucilage, which is sometimes used to paste paper, especially that of kites, toys that are now in disuse. In addition, its pleasant aroma perfumes the backyard and supports several species of pollinators.

The flowers of the red cherry tree, (Malpighia emarginata), did not wait long after the rains of this month. It has already bloomed and produced a harvest of delicious cherries, and now it is in bloom again, although I was surprised not to see the adrena bees or the Apis visiting the trees again. These little flowers have a delicate, very pleasant scent.

There are also the flowers of the lemon balm (Lippia alba), which constantly attract Apis and other insects. These flowers, very similar to those of the purple cariquito (Latana trifolia L.), but much smaller, are a soft purple color that stands out among the foliage.

Finally I left the beautiful mandarin flowers (Citrus reticulata). This is the first time that my trees bloom. In fact, the first one bloomed about a month ago, and the other one started this week. The previous one had flowers with a slight pinkish tint, those of this one are absolutely white, but with such a powerful perfume that it can be perceived from about 10 meters away, and that is a single small tree with few flowers. I look forward to eating the fruits of both trees.

Bibliografía / Bibliography

• Ixora

• Quelite de monte

• Uvito (Cordia dentata)

• Todas las fotos de este post son de mi autoría y fueron tomadas con mi teléfono Xiomi REDMI 8 A // These photos are my own, and were taken with a Xiomi REDMI 8 A phone

• Los divisores son cortesía de @eve66 quien comparte bellos diseños que embellecen el maquetado de nuestras publicaciones. // The dividers used are courtesy of @eve66 who shares beautiful designs that embellish the layout of our post.

• En caso de que se requiera utilizar el contenido o las imágenes de este post y de mis otras publicaciones, agradecería que se hiciera referencia a mi autoría (Fabiola Martínez) y se citara el enlace correspondiente. Gracias. // In case it is required to use the content or images of this post and of my other publications, I would appreciate if you could refer to my authorship (Fabiola Martínez) and cite the corresponding link. Thanks.

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