Today I went again to the fantastic Garfield Park Conservatory. I'd not been last year and had not yet seen the horrible damage done by the June 30, 2011 hailstorm. Very much of the glass paning was then destroyed. But the authorities and workers have admirably restored much, and progress is being made to a complete revamp. Even now there's much to see both inside the glass houses and in the extensive grounds.
Walking in Lincoln Park the other day I'd noticed how much lighter in color the Honey Bees are here compared to the ones I'm used to in The Netherlands. The same in Garfield Park. So I thought I'd look into this.
It appears that the Common European Honey Bee, Apis mellifera mellifera, was carried over to North America in the 1620s, notably to Jamestown Colony. But in the mid-1800s, new kinds were sought and found. Samuel Wagner (1798-1879) and Richard Colvin (?-?) of Baltimore tried first to import another European Honey Bee to North America, Apis mellifera ligustica, The Honey Carrier of Liguria, northwest Italy. Their colonies died, however, en route to America. Full-scale introduction of the Italian Honey Bee didn't take place until the late 1860s. Today this Golden Honey Bee is dominant here. It's really exquisitely beautiful, and I spent a wonderful time in nice Chicago sunshine watching Ligurian antics!
Here two Honey Ladies have met on Pretty Dahlia.
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