A new bee…every day
These little ones are just nasty. Really territorial. And they’ll knock anyone else off the blossoms that they have claimed.
Here’s a good shot of one just before impact. The next pic in the series shows the honeybee (very badly out of focus) well away from the blossom. I don’t catch many like this, but they’re neat shots.
Will be in Whitefish, Montana on Fri, Sat, Sun for the art festival. Come check it out if you’re in the area!
Here’s a great leafcutter on a California poppy. They seem to be fading. This is the “abdomen up” bee and I really like its shape and eyes.
Good to be back for a day. Headed up to a Festival in Whitefish, Montana tomorrow. Got to shoot a little yesterday late in the day. Really miss that when I’m on the road – and I can’t seem to figure out how to make time to shoot when I’m in such neat places. Really need to do that. Great sunrise yesterday morning and hadn’t brought a lens that would do it justice. Shaking my head…
That daisy in the shadow in the foreground. Probably a disaster of a shot by most standards. But I was taken by it and the bee looks great. Gives an idea about what’s going on in the gardens. Good look at the depth of things. And maybe the difficulty of getting the bees photographed sometimes. Great wing. And it’s probably neither mysterious or surprising, but that daisy’s middle is a bright, bright yellow. That light…
That’s not the flower’s real name. Not sure what it is. But it’s a .neat one and I quite like it. Seeds profusely and pops up all over in the gardens. Fun to see where it comes up in the late spring. And, of course, the pollinators love it. This is a leafcutter bee. Note the tongue at work. And the really neat eyes.
I’m going to be at the Snowmass Art Festival (near Aspen, Colorado) with my stuff on Saturday and Sunday of this week. Drop by and have a look if you are in the area.
Here’s a neat shot of some good detail on a cone flower. I think that this bee was asleep. Didn’t move for quite a long time (apart from wiggling antennae for just a little). Very, very rare for me to have a honeybee holding still for a long time. So I got a few good shots. Almost went into the house and got a tripod to get some really close-up detail. Wish I had because, for once, there wasn’t much wind. Anyway, as is my wont, I shot handheld and it came out pretty well on the detail side of things as is.
I’m going to be at the Snowmass Art Festival (near Aspen, Colorado) with my stuff on Saturday and Sunday of this week. Drop by and have a look if you are in the area.
This is kind of a fun shot backed out a little. One of the laments that I have about this site is the lack of context within the gardens. They’re magnificent yet you generally only get to see one bee on one blossom. So here’s a broader shot. And it’s interesting if nothing else.
Oh, and I’m going to be at the Snowmass Art Festival (near Aspen, Colorado) with my stuff on Saturday and Sunday of this week. Drop by and have a look if you are in the area.
I like these daisies lots…but apparently they’re seen by most as weeds. They do tend to wander through the gardens from year to year. But they’re really pretty. And tend to attract mostly native bees (as well as one variety of a bee-mimicking wasp). Had a really good time shooting on these daisies yesterday – despite the wind.
The lavender is just now opening. Means summer is starting. Here’s a great bee on a great example of lavender. I like the composition and the colors. The greens and purples seem to do really well together. And I like the green in the upper left, too – a little definition but not much. Good look at her face, wings, and antennae. And there’s not too much of the lavender in the foreground that’s out of focus. Looked great printed. Might be a candidate for next year’s calendar. One more thing to be thinking about…
I had fun with this one yesterday late in the day. It clearly wasn’t…but it appeared to be posing for me. Was always showing its side…stayed on flower stalks near to me and in pretty good light (instead of the shadows)…even seemed to look at me from time to time. Maybe vamping a little. Tickled me, whateverthecase. Here’s one of the fun shots. Such super resolution on the eye…and two of the three eyes (occeli) on the top of her head. I’m going to print this one out for the print binds. Very neat bee!
From yesterday evening…dusk. Tuns out yesterday was a pretty long day. And dusk was pretty late! Go figure…
