Just a simple shot today as I’m trying to get out of the house to go to a festival in Castle Rock, Colorado. Love the wings on this one!
Late Shot on the Sunflower
This heavy schedule of art festivals nearly every weekend is killing me. Only have just more than a full day back – then on the road again. Tried to shoot bees this evening. Almost 7:00 p.m. here. Got some strange light, but a great bee, great flower, great focus, interesting background…and that shadow. Something I love.
Sorry for being brief, scattered, and a bit off today. Try to love this shot…
And I really could use some help selecting shots for the calendar…please.
Seems Idyllic to Me
Not much to say about this one. You’ve probably noticed by now that I have a thing for depth of focus. This shot just seems so serene. So much like what I’d imagine one of my good shots would look like. Maybe even how I think I see the bees and flowers. I’m not explaining this well. But this one speaks to me.
For those of you keeping score at home, that’s a honeybee on a salvia.
The Blanket Flower – Pulling Them All In
Current festival: On Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (September 4-6), I’ll be in Avon, Colorado in Nottingham Park with my art. Stop by and have a look. Bonus here is that on Monday night, Los Lobos will be playing a free show.
I generally prefer a head-on or true profile shot. This one is like a one quarter shot, but the focus is good all the way along…from the end of the abdomen to the eye and antennae. And it’s probably good to see the little ones from all angles. And there’s that blanket flower again. If you’ve been on the site for a while you’ll know I’m a big fan of these flowers – and one of the many, many reasons is that they attract all sorts of pollinators. Seems some flowers are more geared to one type of bee or another. And there’s nothing at all wrong with that. Everyone needs to eat where they can. But…having something that attracts all has great value, too. And the blanket flower is one of those. A (native) longhorn in this case.
Great Sunflower – Great Bee
Current festival: On Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (September 4-6), I’ll be in Avon, Colorado in Nottingham Park with my art. Stop by and have a look. Bonus here is that on Monday night, Los Lobos will be playing a free show.
So many of the shots that I post here, I need to crop some. Tickles me when I get a shot this close and clear that doesn’t require a crop. Might be a good candidate for the calendar. Also nice that this sunflower isn’t chewed up by the grasshoppers (yet). Most are. Good look at the veins in her left front wing. All in all, a neat shot.
En Route: Destination Salvia
Current festival: On Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (September 4-6), I’ll be in Avon, Colorado in Nottingham Park with my art. Stop by and have a look. Bonus here is that on Monday night, Los Lobos will be playing a free show.
Sometimes it surprises me what shows up in photos and what does not. Good look at her left front wing…and the others just don’t seem to be there much. Shot at 1/1000th of a second which might explain the blur to oblivion. The wings move so fast. And note that the salvias are going still even this late in the season. Wonderful plant for the pollinators.
Some Strange Antenna Articulation
Current festival: On Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (September 4-6), I’ll be in Avon, Colorado in Nottingham Park with my art. Stop by and have a look. Bonus here is that on Monday night, Los Lobos will be playing a free show.
Yesterday, the longhorns were all over this particular goldenrod. Tried to catch multiples in a single shot, but failed at that. This one, though, really struck me. I’ve seen them do some strange things with their antennae, but never seen an arc like this. Just curling all the way around. I’ve also never seen them so enthusiastic about the goldenrod. Normally, they prettymuch stick to ths sunflowers. Fun fact: Only female longhorns have stingers. The males don’t. Not entirely sure how to figure out the difference, though, except for that. And that method seems dumb.
Digression: 2022 Calendar Production
It’s well past time to put together the 2022 calendar. That means I need fourteen great shots (one for the cover, twelve months, and one for the back cover).
So…if you get some time, please nominate a favorite shot or few from this site for consideration. You can leave a comment on this post, or email me at thebeeguy@bees.photo.
Big bonus: if your nomination is selected for the calendar, I’ll send you a 5×7 version of it to thank you. Good fun.
That Fantastic Gaillardia
So today I got the nicest email from a regular visitor to the site. She mentioned that she enjoyed the site, thanked me for the pictures and posts, and told me that she’d found and purchased some of the Gaillardia Mesa Peach (blanket flowers) in order to better attract (and provide for) bees – and reported her (and their) success in glowing words.
That note really made my day. So gratifying on so many levels. Thank you!
So…for today…I went out a few minutes ago and grabbed this shot. Patty, this one’s for you:
Bathed Bee
Because the birdbath is just about at cat level, it doesn’t get used much by the birds. However…it is the bees’ watering hole. And it needs to be filled every day. Sometimes when I fill it, I’ll wash a bee or few into the water. They mostly do a good job of getting to the edge and getting out safely. But now and then one will seem to struggle and I’ll have to fish her out with a stick. Here’s one from yesterday. She recovered nicely and went back to drinking before she flew off.
