Wearing of the Green--and the Yellow

St. Patrick's Day is the "wearing of the green," but it's also the "wearing of the yellow."

Wild mustard, that is. 

If you drive through the hills of Napa, around St. Patrick's Day, or from January through March, you'll see bee hives nestled in the green landscape with a flourish of mustard (Brassica spp.).  

It's a child's delight, a photographer's dream, and a painter's inspiration.  But mustard is also a good cover crop and bee food.

Indeed,  honey bees crave mustard just like folks on "Irish Day" crave corned bee and cabbage (with that yellow condiment made from mustard seeds).