PEACE PARK - HONEY BEE
Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say that I'm a dreamer...
John Lennon
Sometimes one stumbles by accident upon a perfect place...
Nestled between massive apartment blocks and above the busy north shore railway tracks, a narrow strip of native bushland has somehow survived - and become a peaceful garden, buzzing with bees !!
Honey and beeswax have, according to Wikipedia, been important resources for humans since at least the Stone Age. As a result human interraction has ranged from seeking out wild bees, to keeping them agriculturally.
Bees, are often characterized as magically imbued creatures and their honey as a divine gift. It's not surprising that they have featured in mythology and symbolism all around the world:
In ancient Egypt, bees were considered the tears of the sungod Ra and gave life to the desert.
In Greek mythology, the goddess Melissa (whose name means honeybee) fed honey to the infant Zeus. In gratitude, Zeus made bees strong enough to withstand weather, and made them gold in color. His son, Dionysus was credited with the invention of mead and honey wine.
For the ancient Celts, bees were regarded as having great wisdom. They were able to travel to the Otherworld, bringing back messages from the gods. In the western isles of Scotland, bees were thought to embody the ancient knowledge of the druids.
In North America, among the Hopi people, one of the Pueblo Native American tribes, bees were believed to be connected to the spirit world, and their buzzing was seen as a form of communication with the spirits.
And in Australia, native bees have huge cultural significance to indigenous people, and have played a part in their culture for thousands of years.
Honeybee products have a long medicinal history. All cultures have folk medicine traditions that include the use of honeybee products - honey, bee pollen, propolis, royal jelly, beeswax, and bee venom. These products have been found to exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and antioxidant properties.
Bees are hardworkers: They pollinate our plants, carrying pollen between plants of different sexes to fertilise them, or even between different parts of the same plant, which help plants reproduce. Bees even help plants survive by preventing inbreeding.
Bees are magic: Without bees, a fine cup of coffee to start the day could be a thing of the past! The presence of bees can dramatically improve the quality and size of the coffee beans. Without bees they might not be a viable crop.
Bees are vital: If all bees died, it would be a disaster for our planet. In a domino-like effect, many plants would disappear, and animal species would struggle to find food.
llustration from a Medieval manuscript shows bees
returning to a wicker hive. Public Domain
Please replace carefully. And leave the pen.
The cache is a tupperware container which can hold swaps or trackables. The locals who care for this garden seem friendly, but be discreet. There is no need to walk on any garden bed. Enjoy the serenity.