Just call it going for the roses.

Or a hot spot.

In between the showers and the sunshine, the bees at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road, University of California, Davis, emerge from their hives to forage.

They buzz over to the nearby Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, a half-acre garden with year-around blooms.

One bee on a rose.

Two bees on a rose.

Three bees on a rose.

Four bees on a rose.

It's not often you see four honey bees sharing the same blossom. 

In his poem, "Ode to the West Wind," English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) asked: "...if Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?"

Yes, especially on a December day that looks and feels like spring.

The garden, a year-around food resource for bees that also functions as a demonstration garden, is open from dawn to dusk for free, self-guided tours. Come spring, plans call for guided tours in a project headed by Christine "Chris" Casey (cacasey@ucdavis.edu) of the UC Davis Department of Entomology. There will be a small fee for guided tours.

Bring your camera!