Year after year, this tree has produced great bee photos foraging on winter-flowering cherry tree. The time was 2 PM, the temperature was 57°F (13.9°C), blue sky, sunshine, and a loud buzz of bees on this quiet street.
What's next? Crabapple trees (thanks to Trees Atlanta) are beginning to leaf-out and those flowers will be here soon and attracting honey bees too.
On December 24 2022, Atlanta experienced a historic single digit 8°F (-13.3°C) minimal temperature. This cold snap turned green ground cover brown and delayed or canceled flights. In mid to late December the arctic oscillation (AO) was in a negative part of its cycle. Strongly negative AO values are consistent, or should I say necessary, for achieving a historic low in an Atlanta winter.
The December 2022 cold snap was an outlier and then came a historically warm January 2023. Currently, the AO is in the positive part of its cycle and as the AO changes slowly, it seems likely that Atlanta will be spared a historic cold snap in February. This story brings me to share a few lucky iPhone photos of bees on winter-flowering ornamental cherry trees. I was walking the dog on a sunny 57°F (13.9°C) afternoon. I stood still and soaked in the loud buzz of bees foraging on cherry tree flowers.
| Monthly Lowest Min Temperature for Atlanta Area, GA (ThreadEx) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Jan | Dec |
| 2023 | 29 | M |
| 2022 | 26 | 8 |
| 2021 | 28 | 34 |
| 2020 | 23 | 22 |
| 2019 | 22 | 29 |
| 2018 | 13 | 28 |
| 2017 | 15 | 26 |
| 2016 | 20 | 26 |
| 2015 | 11 | 29 |
| 2014 | 6 | 30 |
| 2013 | 29 | 27 |
| 2012 | 22 | 30 |
| 2011 | 19 | 29 |
| 2010 | 13 | 14 |
| 2009 | 12 | 26 |
| 2008 | 15 | 18 |
| 2007 | 18 | 26 |
| 2006 | 28 | 19 |
| 2005 | 16 | 24 |
| 2004 | 18 | 16 |
| 2003 | 8 | 26 |
| 2002 | 21 | 25 |
| 2001 | 17 | 23 |
| 2000 | 19 | 13 |
| Mean | 19 | 24 |
| Max | 29 | 34 |
| 2023 | 2021 | |
| Min | 6 | 8 |
| 2014 | 2022 |
Here are a few lucky iPhone photos which
overcome bright back-lighting and fast moving honey bees. While this is not a spectacular year for most winter-flowering ornamental cherry trees, the neighborhood has a few stunning specimens in bloom attracting so many bees that you can hear the buzz at a distance.
