Little lime fairy

My key lime tree is much happier in the living room than it was on the patio. The sunny southwest corner agrees with it, and its popcorn buds bloom.

Armed with a small sable watercolor brush I dab the blooms alternating those with pistils, and those without. No bees in the condo, so I must be the pollinating fairy. So far I am hopeful a dozen fruits are beginning. Each time I do my lime fairy dance I recite in a bad English accent from Earl's Academy of Accents:


Where the bee sucks, there suck I:
In a cowslip's bell I lie

The Bard and I share that little chuckle after a sucky day at work, and then sometimes we sip an adult beverage.

These blossoms at the Trinity River Audubon Center rely on bees for pollination. There are stacks of hives at the center, so children can learn about honey. Without bees we will all be in sucky scary deep trouble, unable to dab our paintbrushes fast enough. Bees do eighty percent of insect pollination, and bee shortages already impact fruit, vegetable, and nut crops. Pictured below is last summer's entire key lime harvest, life-sized.

Photos © 2013 Nancy L. Ruder. All rights reserved.