The bees will wake from their winter sleep as soon as the fine days of spring come, and it is then that the crocus is in flower. This flower is rich in pollen, which the bees commence to carry into the hive. In March there will be the daffodil and several other wild flowers, among which we may mention the dandelion and colts-foot. In April the blackthorn and palm will appear, whilst in May there will be a large number of wild flowers ready, including the broom, hawthorn, and foxglove. But June is the great bee month, for the fruit trees in the orchards are covered with blossom, and the clover makes the fields look white. Down in the south of England, too, there is the sainfoin, a flower which gives a large amount of nectar. In July the heather attracts those bees who are near the moors, while bramble flowers cover the hedges. In August there is still the heather, but the flowers begin to go, and the bees feel that winter is drawing near, and it is now that they make preparations for their long sleep. The last flower of the year is generally the ivy, which may be seen about October. This flower gives a little nectar, but, as the days are now cold and wet, the bees seldom leave the hives to gather it. These are but a few of the best-known flowers, for there are hundreds of other kinds, and it would be interesting for you to make a calendar of your own. The two flowers from which the most nectar is obtained, are the white clover and the heather. Some flowers are of no use to the bee, although they store large quantities of nectar, for it is so placed that the bee cannot get to it, such as the red clover. We have seen that bees can distinguish between colours, and it is even supposed that they have favourite colours, and that they prefer blue to any other. If you are able to watch a flower called delphinium, or larkspur (Plate XXXV.), which is light blue, and grows in parks and gardens, you will be surprised to notice what a number of bees it attracts, even though there may be many other kinds of flowers around. [Illustration: PLATE XXXVI From a photograph by] [E. Hawks Sectional View of Daffodil] CHAPTER XLI POLLEN Whilst it is true that plants cannot speak or walk about, yet they live a separate life of their own. They breathe and sleep, feed and digest just as animals do, but in a different manner. In order that we may understand more about this and the use that bees are to them, we must first learn a little about the construction of the flowers themselves. Let us choose a daffodil about which to speak, for it is both interesting and easily obtainable.