Pink in May

The Photo:

One of two peonies in my front yard.

The Thought:

Last year, no peonies bloomed, so this year, two have graced our front yard, and I am so delighted. Even before they open, peonies provide nectar outside of the bud and below the flower where bees and ants feast, keeping bad insects away.

Larger bees then enjoy foraging through the sometimes hundreds of petals for more nectar stored in the peony’s ovaries.

Perhaps my peonies are growing because of the deep cold spell we had this winter. Apparently, peonies need a cold winter to go into dormancy and set the buds before spring.

That may mean less peonies because our average temperature in our area has risen 5° F since 2012, according to the records by US Department of Agriculture's new map.

The US Department of Agriculture has just updated the hardiness zone maps to include the changes due to climate change.

Can you image the world with no peonies? What else will we lose?

Poetry

Pink in May

delicate pink petals scoop sunshine,

opening to delicate yellow-orange anthers

and deep pink stigma and filament:

accessories to its glamorous beauty

filled inside while open 

and outside on its bud

with sticky nectar feast for bees:

a busy little ecosystem

barely seen by us

in a pink world in May.

Sheri Edwards  

05.20.24   141.365.24

Poetry/Photography

The Story

https://sheri42.net/2024/05/20/pink-in-may/

https://flic.kr/p/2pSoa8X

joy of blooming peonies helped by a cold winter; plus the impact of climate change hardiness zones for gardening

#smallpoems #clmooc  #poetry24 #poetry

#peony #climatechange #gardening 

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Reflect curiosity and wonder --Go boldly and scatter seeds of kindness...