The Bee’s Knees

Summary

Erika Burkhalter's "The Bee’s Knees" is a poetic and scientific exploration of the symbiotic relationship between bees and flowers, highlighting the electric sensation experienced during pollination.

Abstract

"The Bee’s Knees" by Erika Burkhalter is a captivating piece that combines the beauty of poetry with the wonders of nature's pollination process. Through vivid imagery, Burkhalter describes the intimate dance between bees and flowers, likening the sensation of pollination to a metallic taste after a lightning storm. The poem delves into the risks and rewards of this natural interaction, suggesting that without taking chances, one cannot experience life's profound moments, such as the electric jolt felt when a bee lands on an unpollinated flower. Burkhalter also educates readers on the science behind this phenomenon, explaining how bees and flowers generate opposite electrical charges, allowing them to sense when pollination is needed. Accompanied by a soundcloud track and related links to her other works, Burkhalter's multimedia presentation invites readers to immerse themselves in the awe-inspiring world of nature's electrostatic connections.

Opinions

The author expresses a sense of wonder and appreciation for the intricate connection between bees and flowers, suggesting it is akin to a pleasurable electric shock.
Burkhalter implies that taking risks is essential to fully experience life, drawing a parallel between the bee's boldness and human exploration.
The piece conveys a subtle personification of nature, attributing the ability to feel pleasure to both bees and flowers during pollination.
The author's background in neurophilosophy and yoga studies seems to influence her perspective, emphasizing a deep, almost spiritual, interconnectedness with nature.
By providing a scientific explanation for the electrified sensation during pollination, Burkhalter bridges the gap between the poetic and the empirical, enhancing the reader's understanding and appreciation of the natural world.

A pollination poem

“The buzz of wing against my breast of petal pink.” Photo ©Erika Burkhalter.

Oh, that tickle of your toes on my pollen-clad stamen and the buzz of wing against my breast of petal pink…

It’s electric, like metal melting in your mouth after a lightning storm which scorched the earth beneath your feet.

A little too close.

Perhaps.

But if you never take the chance, you won’t know what it’s like to stand with lips dampened by scouring rain, or to howl into the wind

or to wish again for that little zap of electricity which the flower feels when the bee’s knees are thick with pollen.

Flowers and bees really do feel a little jolt when they connect, if the flower has not been pollinated recently. Bees develop a negative charge when flying and flowers develop a positive charge when swaying in the breeze. A bee can tell if another bee has recently visited a flower by the lack of a “zap” of electricity when the bee and flower touch.

It does make you wonder if the bee and the flower get a little jolt of pleasure when the bee lands, knee-deep, in an un-pollinated blossom.

Erika Burkhalter is a yogi, neurophilosopher, cat-mom, photographer, and lover of travel and nature, spreading her love and amazement for Mother Earth’s glories, one photo, poem, or story at a time. (MS Neuropsychology, MA Yoga Studies).

Poetry, Nature

The Bee’s Knees

A pollination poem

Oh Little Bee, How I Love your Energy

Electrostatic fields and pollination

Jet-Setting to Napa, Bees in my Garden, and Succulent Blooms

A week in photos

Mrs. Squirrel Comes for Lunch

The daily buffet