36 The Honey-Makers 



Although Queen Bombus was not observed to visit the 

 cypripediums in the Connecticut woods, she was caught at 

 it next spring in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where by the 

 roadside was seen a splendid specimen of the cypripe- 

 dium acaule, and from its narrow window a queen bombus 

 triumphantly emerging. 



One hears so much of the brightness of flowers as being 

 the result of insect selection, and of the bees in particular 

 as finding flowers by their colors, that one at first uncon- 

 sciously looks to the showy blossoms when searching for 

 bees. But this seems to be a mistake. 



Early in the summer the huckleberries bloom, and over 

 the rocks on the Connecticut hills may be seen clusters ot 

 straggling bushes loaded with small, rather inconspicuous 

 red flowers. 



These flowers are always alive with bees. 



Great queen bombuses, airy honey-bees, and slender 

 black bees of solitary habits are all there busily draining 

 these toothsome blooms, while the vivid houstonia, whiten- 

 ing the earth like a fall of snow, seems to be quite ignored, 

 and the buttercups, daisies, and many another showy bloom 

 has only an occasional bee-visitor. 



A little later the wild raspberry-bushes — or brambles — 

 blossom with such an excess of delightsome nectar that 

 they have been able almost to dispense with petals. Their 

 narrow white petals soon fall, and at the best are very 

 inconspicuous. 



The bees adore these modest blooms, and to come at 

 them will pass the brilliant white blackberry blossoms, or 

 the most gorgeous garden flowers, without a moment's hesi- 

 tation. Bees could always be found on the brambles when 

 they were to be seen nowhere else. 



The mountain laurel, which held high carnival over the 

 pastures and through the woods of Connecticut, piling up 



