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Wildflowers of the NW Arkansas Ozarks
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Bitterweed
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Bitterweed

Somewhere in the woods, not far away, is the Worst Honey Ever -- this honeybee is working on a bitterweed blossom.

Bitterweed (formally known as Helenium amarum, and also called "Bitter Sneezeweed") is an unwelcome sight to anyone who keeps bees or dairy cattle. Aptly named, it brings a truly foul taste to anything derived from it -- whether it's honey in the hive, or milk from cattle that graze on it.

This comment from http://www.beesource.com sums it up nicely: "Bitterweed honey tastes sweet as it first passes the tongue but by the time it is on the way to being swallowed, it has become wholly objectionable and unpalatable, with a kind of musky, body-odor flavor all its own.

However, the bees seem to like it just fine, and they are packing their broodnests with it in preparation for the coming winter. As long as it stays in the broodnest, I welcome it."

DSC_0239

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