Bountiful Blossoms

A highlight of February in California's Central Valley is when the Almond orchards are in full bloom with their beautiful white blossoms. The blossoms depend on honey bees to pollinate them so that they can develop into almonds that can be sold all over the world. The bee in this painting is collecting pollen from the blossoms to bring back to its hive to produce honey for the hive, with the advantage that its collecting will fertilize the blossoms, keeping both the almond and honey industries alive and thriving.