Bumble bees remind me of the watermen that ply the river and Gulf of Mexico near my home in Florida. They are gatherers, not sowers. They both simply take what nature gives them – nectar on the one hand, shellfish on the other. The waterman doesn’t own that natural bounty; he doesn’t invest in seeding the river with crabs or the Gulf with shrimp, in fertilizing and otherwise maintaining that crop. He just collects it, like plucking wildflowers.
The difference between the bee and the waterman is that the bee is doing double-duty as a pollinator when she dines, ensuring her future and that of the daisy. That to me is the ultimate in sustainable practices.
Comments