Bee Pasture

The fall honey flow has started and it is several weeks early just like almost every thing connected to the weather. This pic is one of the typical fall flowers bees feed on. A white aster, probably ,Panicled Aster, Aster simplex, which has been blooming for two weeks. I'm not sure how this is going to effect my hives but I am guessing I will have to leave a lot more honey in the hive for the bee's winter food supply.

Here is another common fall bee plant, also an aster. I believe this one is the New England Aster, Aster laevis . It is a pretty plant and the flowers are much bluer than they look in this pic. It is just starting to bloom but once again, much too early in the year.

Here is probably one of the most important fall bee plants in this area, a goldenrod.  There are over 60 species of goldenrod, Solidago, in the north east to north central part of the U.S. and almost all of them provide food for the honey bee. I am not sure which of the half dozen that are common here this one is. My bees are still feeding on dutch clover in my fields.

I also plant this for my bee pasture, a common garden herb, borage. Borago officinalis, is a self seeding annual, about afoot and a half tall, and it sprawls somewhat. I plant it both as a useful companion plant, it helps repel flea beetles, and as pasture for bees. It is also edible, the young leaves are good in a salad and the flowers can be used in salads or to flavor a cooling drink. The flowers are almost all blue but there is the occasional pink one.A nice addition to your garden even if you don't keep bees.