Winter solstice bee

Photo by Sarah Phelan

Actually the winter solstice isn't until Wednesday, December 21. But at nine hours and 33 minutes each day, daylight is the same length as on the solstice. The days stay that short until Monday, December 26, when we gain an extra minute of light.
Either way, the honey bees seem happy with the mild temperatures today, as evidenced by this worker that I spotted on a flowering succulent at about noon.