But those pollen baskets sure are full. Another fun shot on the cone flower. This one’s from July of last year. Pretty clean shot. I’m pining for summer already…
Fantastic Profile on a Thistleball
I recall shooting this one. Think it was sleeping. They don’t usually hold still like this. And it turned out to be a fantastic shot. Just love the eyes on these leafcutters. And this is such a compelling flower. Just gorgeous. Wish it lasted longer. From July, again.
Quick Hit: Leafcutter on the Salvia
It’s just a few minutes before midnight and it’s been a long, long day. So here’s a quick one for now – shot in mid-July. It’s a native leafcutter on the salvia. Plenty cute with a great look at her eye.
Longhorn on the Russian Sage
This is a super-neat picture. Love the eye and the antennae spread like that. One of my favorites of the year.
In other news, I got to shoot accidentally yesterday. I went to Harbor Freight but arrived before it opened. On the sidewalk in front of the store, a little merlin (falcon – larger than a kestrel but smaller than a peregrine) had taken down a pigeon and was busy disassembling it. Good luck that I had a camera in the car, but it had a 100mm (bee) lens on it. She let me get within about six feet of her as she fed (moved incrementally) and I got some neat shots. Well, if dinnertime for a falcon is neat (and it is). Felt good to click again after some fallow time.
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.
Great Shot on the Blanket Flower
Wish I knew which one this is. Might be Mesa Peach. But might not. Have a few different varieties that I picked up here and there. And I think they morph a little through time, too. One very red one didn’t get much action this year…or I didn’t get many photos of the action that happened. Interested to see if/how they seed next year.
No set date yet for the gallery opening. Hoping for sometime in November – complete with a new website for stuff other than/including bees. Will continue with this one, too, of course.
Kind of a Top-down Thing on the Goldenrod
Kinda rare in these shots to actually have the bee at the top of the thing – no out-of-focus stuff nearer to the lens. I like the way this one’s set up. And especially like the wings. The goldenrod seems so fickle for bees. Throws pollen at times that make no sense to me. And it seems to be more attractive to wasps and flies than it is to bees. So I like it when I find a honeybee or few on it. It sure makes for some neat depth.
On the Larkspur
This is a pretty good shot of a bumble on a larkspur. Mostly white with a tinge of purple. One of the things that I like about this plant is that it’s a self-seeder (an annual). Not only does it wander through the gardens some, but it also morphs through pollination. Different variations on color from year to year – and all due to the bees (and other pollinators). The background is fun on this one, too. Looks like sedums (or what used to be callled sedums – and that’s a different conversation – the constant reclassifying of plants (and other things)).
Blurring Wings on the Salvia
Been working so hard on this renovation that I don’t have time to do much of anything. And when I do have a moment or two, seems I’ve already spent all of my energy on something else.
And getting a bee out every day has kind of been a chore for the last couple of weeks. Something that I need to do, but something I dread…because it does take some energy, and I have been putting it off until the end of the day.
And today was no different. Until it was. As I was selecting a shot for today, somehow I managed to re-remember to see the wonder and the beauty of the shots. This one is remarkable to me. Love the color of the flowers and the background. The shape of the bee…the wings in motion. That great face. The plates of exoskeleton protecting her. Just a magnificent tribute to nature all around. That split second hymn of gratitude in the shot. There’s really something there. To all of this. And this site…the few bees I post each week/month/year…just the tiniest slice of the smallest fraction of the grandeur. Find some in this one. Today. It’s there.
Huge Bumble on a Foxtail Lily
Looks like this one is from June of this year. Note the pollen starting to accumulate in the pollen basket. Love these lilies. They bloom from the bottom up and they’re like garden rockets. Very neat plants and they attract all manner of bees and other pollinators. The only thing that I don’t like much about them is that they don’t last all that long… But they’re fantastic while they do!
