Basswood blooming in Vermont!!!

[Keth Comollo]

Large basswood tree right down the street has just started to bloom!! After we missed locust I was worried but this is a beautiful sight. Tree is just buzzing with bees and there are tons more just a short distance away down by the river. Wooooo hoooooooo!!!!!!

[Charlie B]

Break out the honey supers.

[Fishman43]

Awesome, unfortunately I think they are pretty rare in my neck of the woods

[Keth Comollo]

Fishman. You should have some around you. Look along river banks. Stately roundish tree with golden and white flowers all over it!!

[Fishman43]

I just checked the USGS maps for distribution and it shows as in my area. I have done a fair amount of forestry work and don't find it, but I will be the first to say my plant ID skills are lacking in that department. I will call the County forester...

[Keth Comollo]

Just took my dog for a walk under that basswood at 8pm at night and the buzzing is very audible. They love that stuff!

[windfall]

I will have to go take a peak at the monster in the neighbor's meadow, but I suspect we are a week or so behind you all. We have a couple in the sugarbush, but it's tough to see their crowns. Thank goodness for all this rain, nice long steady recharge to the ground....we needed it. And the next week looks nice and warm again.

[Fishman43]

I talked with the county forester and there are basswood in my area although no guarantee within my bees flight area. I have to go looking I guess

[Keth Comollo]

Fishman I do hope it is nearby. I just got back from a walk at 8PM and the bees were still working it.

[Fishman43]

Fishman I do hope it is nearby.

As do I!!!

[khaas15]

Here is N. Illinois, Linden trees (a type of basswood) are very popular plantings in neighborhoods as a parkway tree. My neighborhood is full of them and when they bloom my supers fill up quickly. The honey is light and minty.

[luka]

does anyone know if we get basswood in Mass?

[c10250]

The honey is definitely unique. This year the lack of rain had the bees working basswood hard. We get a good basswood crop every year, but this year it was especially minty, which tells me that there weren't too many other sources being worked. My basswood honey tastes like someone put mint in the honey.

Here's a great description.

http://www.health-benefits-of-honey....ood-honey.html

[Keth Comollo]

Basswood all over New England. Look near streams and rivers.

[Luke]

I hope there are some near me. So far this year has been a dud for my bees.

[Roland]

My Great Great Grandfather must have liked Basswood honey when he picked the name:

Linden Apiary, Est. 1852

It is my person favorite, but then what else would you expect, the apple does not fall far from the tree.

Crazy Roland

[Clairesmom]

The basswood here popped into bloom yesterday. I noticed it right away when I walked out to the machine shed and heard a lot of buzzing nearby. Walked around the corner to where a huge old basswood tree grows and it was just loaded with bees. And no rain in sight-YES!

[c10250]

Here's possibly the largest basswood in the state of Illinois. . . . about 50 yards from my hives. It's over 11 feet in circumference.

2008Linden.JPG

[jamneff]

Do these trees have long thorns on the trunk and branches?

[Roland]

NO!!!!! Smooth bark on the young shoots, shallow splits in the mature bark, LARGE heart shaped leaves, with off white inverted umbrella(put the handle in from the wrong side, handle up) shaped compound cluster of flowers. Often many trunks growing together.

Crazy Roland
Linden Apiary