Southern California is home to some of the most hospitable and inhospitable places in the world – the balmy weather of L.A. and the blistering heat of nearby Death Valley. But covering acres and acres of this prime real estate are farms and wildflowers that are just begging for bees to pay them a visit.

California’s state flower, the poppy, is especially prevalent across So Cal. Its bright pink petals pop up in the wild amid sand dunes and in Californian gardens, too. Even though poppies don’t have the sweet nectar that bees tend to crave, bees in southern California can’t get enough of them because they’re packed with pollen.

Beyond its many cultural exports as an international hub of film, music and sports, California is a world-renowned agricultural center, producing billions of dollars’ worth of produce every year. California produces 100% of the almonds made in the USA, along with major portions of our grapes, raisins, lettuce, strawberries and citrus. And our friendly little pollinators are at least partly to thank: while they’re gathering pollen for our local So Cal honey, they’re also boosting farmers’ crop yields.

In the wake of last year’s wildfires and subsequent record-setting rainfall, So Cal is experiencing a “Super Bloom,” with beautiful, brilliant flowers – poppies, daisies, lilies, bluebells and more – covering entire hillsides in the region’s various parks. No doubt the local bees are having a field day, since they love wildflowers.

Southern California is an odd mix of 24 million laid-back beachgoers and busy businesspeople in the bustle of Los Angeles, San Diego and the surrounding metros. Our bees fit squarely into the “busy business” category, spending most of their waking hours foraging and pollinating throughout SoCal’s 56,000 square miles. Get a taste of their work in our So Cal local honey, packed with local pollen from alfalfa, berries, citrus, clover and sage.