A new bee…every day
Posting a few days in advance. Heading out to Fountain Hills, AZ for the art festival there.
A Hunt’s bumble perched at the top of a liatris bud/stalk. That bedhead bee. Interesting that this one throws white pollen. And lots of it. A favorite of the pollinators…and one you should plant if you have the space.
Apparently, this is a Hunt’s bumble queen. I usually call the Hunt’s “the bedhead bee” because it looks so unkempt. Apparently the queen pays more attention to her grooming than the other gals. Who knew? This one looks well kempt.
So stupid cold lately. 24 degrees as of this writing…which most likely means the bees will be hunkering down today. Spring in Utah. Shouldn’t complain. Beautiful, really.
Admittedly not a great shot. The light is awful and I missed the focus on the bee by just a bit. BUT…it’s the first bumble I’ve seen and snapped this year. And there’s some value and joy in that for sure.
Oddly, it was 53 degrees this morning at 5:30 a.m. Now, at 9:40, it’s 43. Spring. Go figure. Looks like might be too cold for much bee shooting today.
That flower is a hellebore, by the way. It might be called Golden Sunrise, but I’m not completely certain.
This is a great photo, but it’s pretty disturbing. This Hunt’s bumble got ambushed by an ambush bug and it’s going to work on dinner now. I see this several times a year…the outcome I mean. And often see the ambush bugs hunting in the gardens. Circle of life and all that, I guess, but I’m cheering for the bees to get away.
I think this one is a brown-belted drone, but I’m not entirely sure. Very long bee, compared to others. If you’ve been following along, you can kind of see the scale – and the length compared to the blossoms. Tongue at work, too.
This is the whole shot – no crop. Good detail on the bee’s face, including some pollen grains on the eye. You can also see how and where the sunflower is throwing its pollen. Still cold out, but the river of crocuses is starting to appear.
Great view of this beadhead bee. Love the pollen on its eye. I say ‘its’ because while most honeybees that you see are female, this one might be a drone bumble. Can’t tell.
Just another day in August. Two brown-belteds sharing one blossom.
If you’ve looked at even a few of these posts, you’ll know that blanket flower. Almost the mascot of this site. But…now…hey! Click on the bee… That’s new, isn’t it?
I think. Still with beadhead. This polar vortex storm is making a mess here in the rockies. Eight or ten inches of snow, but lots more has fallen (and melted). And it’s still snowing strong. Those poor crocuses in the vanguard. They’re pretty hearty, but they’re probably wondering what’s happened to spring. So have I. However…it’s been the driest winter that I can remember (but that’s not a great metric) and we need the moisture.
It’s one of those things…you know it’s good, but it’s sure seems lousy when it’s happening. Something about perspective. When the reservoirs are full and I see the water on the garden this summer, maybe I’ll remember this morning and think a little. Probably a lesson in there somewhere… Ha!
