Fall Foliage at its Peak

Fall foliage is officially at its peak in many parts of the Northeast - some of the best places to see fall foliage are listed here on this flower blog:
Upstate New York
Pennsylvania
Massachusetts

Please comment on your favorite spots to view fall foliage and the wonderful colors of the leaves...

Honey Bees Continue to Struggle

Perhaps you didn't notice a few less flowers this year, or perhaps you were distracted by the economy, but the bees are still having trouble surviving in what many call a phenomenon, while others call it a result of either climate change, and the stress of transporting bees across the country to help pollinate crops for mass production. Queen bees longevity has decreased by 25 to 30%. Beekeepers don't seem to have a handle on it, and there doesn't seem to be many in the science community who are even working on the problem. The attitude among beekeepers just seems to be a shrug of the shoulders as for lack of resources or sophistication in being able to solve the problem. In the meanwhile, the public should know that most of our food comes from the bee pollination process. Since I planted our lavender crop, I've seen plenty more bumble bees, but those are not the type of bees that are best for pollinating crops, plants and flowers. For additional info on the bee problems please see: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/381218_honey01.html