Clyde and his daughter Bethany walked around the family’s orange grove. He was muttering something under his breath, which bothered Bethany because it was so out of character for him.
“What’s the matter, Daddy?” she asked.
“We’re supposed to get a late visit from old Jack Frost tonight,” Clyde answered. “I’m afraid it may retard blossoming of the orange blossoms this year.”
“What does that mean, Daddy?” Bethany wanted to know.
“It doesn’t bode well for our orange crop this year and it’s also bad news for beekeepers,” Clyde explained to his daughter.
“Bees?”
“Yes, sweetheart,” Clyde said. “Orange groves provide a major source for the highly prized orange blossom honey. Beekeepers often position their beehives within or next to citrus groves so their bees can grab the nectar produced during citrus flowering season.”“So if it freezes and the blossoms freeze and die, the bees won’t be able to get any honey?” Bethany asked.
“Yes, and if the orange trees don’t blossom, they won’t produce oranges, either,”
“That’s terrible, Daddy,” Bethany said.
“It is, sweetie,” Clyde said. “So let’s keep our fingers crossed that Jack Frost doesn’t visit us tonight.”
Written for today’s Three Things Challenge from Teresa (orange grove, bee, and Jack Frost). Image credit: “Orange Grove Of Citrus Fruit Trees” by Jane Small.