Here’s a wool carder bee approaching a hens & chicks (sempervivum) bud. It’s a fun shot. Good detail on the rock. The flower is out of focus. And the bee looks great. Pretty typical in the rock garden – all of those elements I mean. The semps are just about done blooming. The summer’s whizzing by.
Category: Non-native
Larkspur Bud and Wool Carder Bee
This one isn’t a native, but from the UK, I think. Really aggressive, territorial little thing. And…as they might say in the UK, rather randy. And annoying. That said, it’s a beautiful bee. Not much to not like about its aesthetics. Great look at the eye today. And the background really makes this shot interesting. Nice feel to it.
Wool Carder Bee on the Sempervivum Blossom
While it’s true that this one is not native, I’m kind of fond of it. The males are a little bigger than the females and are pretty nutty when it comes to being territorial. They’re really fond of the hens and chicks (sempervivum) blossoms…and really do have that “birds and bees” drive pretty deeply seeded in them, as it were. They’re a little rough to photograph for two reasons. First, they don’t often stay long on a single blossom. So if I’m not quick, they’re gone before I can click. And, second, they don’t fly as predictably as the honey bees or the bumbles. They’re more like hummingbirds in their randomness. But they’re really neat looking…especially their eyes. And the pinks and greens of the hens and chicks make for some nice shots. Oh, and please ignore that black cat hair there in the bottom of the pic. The cats seem to own the semp beds around here.
Two on the Sempervivum
This one is a little obnoxious to look at. But seldom do I get two in focus. And never two wool carder bees. They’re so quick and don’t sit long. More pink and green. Seems to be a theme this year. And try not to notice the cat hair in the middle of the shot. The cats seem to think that the semp beds are their own domain.
In the Shadows on the Asters
First shot of the garden asters this year. Twilight so there’s some strange light on it. Kind of have a love/hate with the asters. When they start to bloom, the clock is ticking on the summer. But they go and go and go and go. And the bees love them. And I’ve gotten some remarkable shots on them. Here’s the first of what will likely be many…
Wool Carder Bee – Defending the Hens and Chicks
This bee has a lot of nicknames around here – all of them unprintable. Really territorial, aggressive little thing. Especially the males. But this is a neat shot of a male in flight. Look closely at that neat eye on him.
Wool Carder Bee Doing What Wool Carder Bees Do
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!
Wool Carder Bee with Hens & Chicks
From yesterday evening…dusk. Tuns out yesterday was a pretty long day. And dusk was pretty late! Go figure…
Wool Carder Bee Heading In
In Logan at the Art Festival again today. Fairgrounds from 11:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. again. Not sure why so late… Makes for long, long days. And three in a row, too.
But…here’s a wool carder bee moving toward a neat penstemmon. As neat as these little ones are, they’re incredibly obnoxious for photos. They’re very territorial and pretty pugnacious. If there’s another bee in what they consider to be their territory, they’ll fly into it and knock it off the flower – repeatedly. And it seems to happen just when I’m getting ready to click. Wouldn’t be so bad if they’d hold still long enough for a shot. But they move quickly and don’t stay long on any blossom. Well, except when they’re doing the birds-and-bees thing… And I’ve probably posted enough of those.
Another Wool Carder – but in the Agastache
This is a nasty little bee – territorial, bellicose, and beyond promiscuous (even in cross-species and cross-gender ways). But…it’s one of my favorite bees to photograph. Maybe because the eye is so neat. I like this profile especially. And those wings are wrecked! Fun pic today.
And tomorrow…!!! Tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of the site. Big plans so be sure to check in. Pretty pleased that I’ve been able to keep it going for a year. Traffic is still low. So…please share the link to this place with those whom you think might enjoy.
