Still adjusting to the time zone, I was up early my first morning. I pushed open the very efficient, heavy wooden shutters to see if there was any light outside.
As soon as I opened the doors, I was almost knocked over by the overwhelming fragrance of Jasmine. I was feeling a little woozy anyway, and, I hate to admit it, but this heady perfume made me feel more than a little queasy.
What a problem to have, right??
Two hearty Jasmine bushes flank the patio outside the garden apartment at Finca Hermosa.
The local Gardener, Manolo, calls Jasmine “La Dame de Noche”, or lady of the night, because her fragrance becomes so much stronger when the sun goes down, but demures as the sun grows stronger in the morning.
Have you ever wondered why white blossoms are usually so fragrant? I love white blossoms, for their delicate appearance as well as for their fragrance. Jasmine, Star Jasmine {for colder climates}, Gardenias, Nicotiana, Citrus blossoms, Tuberose, Stock, Phlox and certain Viburnums are great options for bringing fragrance to the garden {or home}. The reason they smell so deliciously is to attract the bees. Without their strong fragrance the bees would just whiz by them and choose a more colorful blossom to pollinate.
“Can bees smell?”, you may ask.
“Foraging worker bees might encounter a bewildering number of flowers to choose from, but they can discriminate between them using subtle olfactory cues”….so sayeth Dr. Hugh Robertson, professor of entomology and an affiliate of the University of Illinois Institute for Genomic Biology.
He led a study on honey bee chemoreceptors and found that honey bees have 170 odorant receptors. In comparison, mosquitoes have 79 and fruit flies have 62.
Vell, vell {okay, okay in Spain}, I’ll suffer through, just for the bees.
I HAVE indeed wondered that and love the answer which of course makes total sense!! And yes, what a lovely problem to have. Looking forward to more visions from Mallorca!!
I love so much jasmine and its smell
Beautiful pictures!! Very interesting about the jasmine and about the bees:)
http://kariyah.blogspot.com/
Isn't interesting to learn Mother Nature has a grand plan for everything!
Isn't interesting to learn Mother Nature has a grand plan for everything!