A new bee…every day
So everything everything is a wreck from that hard freeze a few days ago. But some ‘mums (and the fall crocuses) survived. Was in the mid 60s yesterday so I got to shoot for a few minutes. Hope today affords the same. Mostly hoverflies, but a couple of natives and honebees, too. The light on the bee is pretty good, but because the camera metered for the bee, the petals are a bit blown out. Ah, well. Great face and wings and tongue. Late October bee. I like posting current.
This shot would be absolutely stellar if not for the out of focus blossoms above the bee. Great focus on the bee with a good look at the hairs on her rear leg – the pollen basket. Beautiful critter. The bokeh is nice, too.
From late September of this year.
Had a really good fleabane day in September – which is pretty rare. Normally, it’s the hoverflies on the fleabane. But that one day, there were bees all over it. So here’s a shot from that day. She’s got a pretty full pollen basket and I think it came from her work on the fleabane(s). They’re really tiny flowers, as you can see, and they don’t spend much time on each.
Was in the back yard for a bit yesterday. Made me sad to see the void where the three hives were. Already looking forward to Spring.
Neat composition on this one and I am so taken by how they get into the salvias. Seems that part (is it the stamen or pistil?) often comes up over her face.
Pretty cold here. Looks like only the ‘mums and the fall crocuses were the only ones who survived that hard freeze. Saw a hoverfly on the ‘mums yesterday, but didn’t have my camera. I’ll have a look this afternoon. Stinks to not have anything to shoot…
This one kind of grabs me. Love her color and pose. She’s a bit lighter than usual – more golden. And this particular sedum seems to encourage a posture that shows the bees’ necks. It’s that little white thing between her head and thorax and it just looks…weird. Of course she has to have one – but I really wouldn’t have expected it to look like that – especially be that color. Anyway…
So so so so very cold the last couple of days. And that wind… Not sure if I’ll get any more shots this year. Plus the hives are staging now for a trip to the California almond orchards for the winter. Sad.
This one…won’t quit. Hunt’s bumblebee…or as I’ve christened it, the beadhead bee. Love the way it’s fur/hair looks so unkempt – always. And the blanket flowers just don’t quit. And I like the shape the bee’s making in this one. Seems to fit well with the flower – that elongated profile.
Oh, hey – today (through Sunday), I’ll be in Centennial Colorado at The Highlands Garden Center (8080 S Holly Street) from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. – with a whole bunch of neat pictures of bees, birds, flowers, etc.
I love this shot. So often the foreground will be out of focus somewhere or another. But in this one, everything seems to be in the same plane. Fun composition, too. And the tongue – cannot get enough of that!
Oh, hey – today (through Sunday), I’ll be in Centennial Colorado at The Highlands Garden Center (8080 S Holly Street). Hours are: Friday from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.; Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.; and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. – with a whole bunch of neat pictures of bees, birds, flowers, etc.
Don’t know if I’ve posted too many on the alyssum. Part of the problem is that they don’t rest much on these exceptionally tiny blossoms. They bounce around a lot and that makes shooting tough. Love these plants, though. Once they get started, they don’t stop until a hard frost. They’re only about six inches tall (normally – we’ve got some aberrations in a few spots that have gotten huge) and they make a nice, annual border in some of our gardens. The bees seem pretty fickle about them – tho I do notice more natives on them than honeybees. And that counts for something.
Oh, hey – today (through Sunday), I’ll be in Centennial Colorado at The Highlands Garden Center (8080 S Holly Street). Hours are: Friday from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.; Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.; and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. – with a whole bunch of neat pictures of bees, birds, flowers, etc. Come have a look!
Think this is the first shot I’ve posted on this particular plant. Shot some on white ones at a public garden earlier this year and they’ll probably show up sometime in the next few months here. They’re pretty delicate blossoms on thin stalks so they flap around a lot – even in the most gentle breeze. In other words, they don’t hold still. That said, the bees really seem to like them. In fact, one of the common names of this plant is “beeblossom” (yes, all one word – apparently I’m not the only one who compounds words with impunity).
This shot, especially of the bee and the blossom that it’s on, seems to have something special about it. Don’t know what it is, but it catches more than my eye. Kind of a mess in the upper left quarter or so, which is a shame. Neat, though.
I’ve sure been delinquent in posting these “bonus” shots of other pollinators (or inadvertent pollinators – in this case). Oh, well. Maybe I’ll be less harried in the colder months. Or not…
Enjoy this one. It’s fun to watch them hunt…and jump at other critters.
