Flowering almond trees in California's Central Valley
Flowering almond trees in California's Central Valley (© Jeffrey Lewis/Tandem Stills + Motion)
It’s showtime for a precious crop
Nestled in California's verdant Central Valley, this almond orchard is in full bloom. If we zoomed in closer, we might see billions of honey bees hard at work moving pollen from one blossom to another, doing their vital work to pollinate the trees so they can produce their valuable crop. Almond orchards are a thriving $6 billion business here in the valley. California produces around 80% of the world's almonds and booming demand means production has more than doubled in the past few years, despite threats from drought and wildfires.
© Jeffrey Lewis/Tandem Stills + Motion