This one just made me smile when I saw it. The plant’s also called the bluebeard (and you can see why…although it’s purple-ey, too). Blooms in the late summer and early fall and it’s such such such a magnet for pollinators. They’re so attracted to it. Love the bee in this one. It’s a good look and fun to see her neck a bit. Shadows are a little nasty, but she looks really good.
Tag: beeneck
Another New Blossom – Glory of the Snow
Apparently, this one has been reclassified recently as a member of the squill family. Plant taxonomy is really a moving target. This one is one of my favorites. Although it blooms for a while, the window in which the bees visit is pretty narrow – meaning that it only throws pollen for a short time. Lots of flowers are that way. So you get ’em while you can…
Oh, and I really shouldn’t forget to mention her neck. It’s why I chose this photo. Never in a million years would I imagine that a bee’s neck would look like that. So very strange. But, of course, perfect.
If it Quacks Like a Duck…
Normally, finding and posting a bee pic is a fun process. Sometimes I’m short on time and it gets a little harried, but normally it’s something I enjoy. Not sure what happened this morning, but everything seemed twisted and mired. I chose this one from June of 2020. It well could be from Young’s Living Farm, but something went wonky with the hard drive (yes, I have a backup) so there’s no way to tell in this moment. It has to be on lavender, no (seems to be quacking at me)? But there’s no white lavender in these gardens so it must be from somewhere else? Anyway, she’s cute and you get a bit of a look at her neck. And that “publish” button is mocking me and wants to be pressed. When you do something daily, some days end up being better than others. And some end up being weirder. Wonder what the upcoming hours will bring…
Some Beeneck from Behind the Salvia
Pollen-Filthy, Beeneck, Agastache…Not a Lot More To Want…
Apparently that “to” is capitalized because it’s “part of an infinitive”. Wow. I don’t think I’ll ever understand all of the rules.
Long day yesterday…drove about 850 miles in search of things. Shot this pic this morning, though, in some pretty good light. The flower’s looking ratty in places, but the bee – she’s magnificent!
Not sure where that big pollen came from. Not from the agastache, I’m pretty sure. Love the neck. Pretty rare to see.
Some Beeneck in the Lavender
Getting ready to head to Silverthorne/Breckenridge, Colorado for a Fri, Sat, Sun art festival. Seems I’m never quite ready to hit the road.
Kind of a nasty looking bit of lavender today…been so hot and there’s so little water. Rumor has it that they’re going to shut off the irrigation in August. And that’s going to be a killer on the gardens. The lawns are looking pretty crispy already (turned the water way, way down on them).
Today – great look at a bee neck. And eyes and face. Fun composition, too. If you’re interested in the health of the bees and other pollinators, remember to put some water out for them. Put a stone or two in the birdbath so they have something to stand on as they drink. Easy way to make friends.
Lavender Rising
So many things starting to bloom. I especially love the lavender. Might have something to do with the green and purple. One of nature’s great combinations.
Two things to note on this bee: First, her neck. You get a pretty good look in this shot. And it’s weird looking. Almost like a plastic tube or something. Second, her abdomen. Note that she has prettymuch no hair left – nearly completely bald. While her wings still look quite intact, having rubbed off the hair on her back is an indication of her age. In other words, she’s been around for a while. Closer to the end of her cycle than the beginning. This is the spot at which I say, “So, too, is it for all of us…”. Or something like that. I like this shot.
Tiny Sweat Bee in Rozanne Today – Supercute!
This geranium’s blossoms are just a bit bigger than a U.S. quarter dollar coin. I think that’s about 24cm to the rest of the world. Two pics today. First of the entire blossom with the bee – for scale. Second is a tighter crop so that you can see the detail on the bee. Tiny, gorgeous little critter – with bonus beeneck. The sweat bees delight me.


Sweet Beeneck on the Bluebeard
I just love seeing beeneck. This is one of the best examples I’ve seen. Don’t know why but that just makes me smile. And it’s really something I’ve never seen without the camera.

Golden Girl on the Sedum
This one kind of grabs me. Love her color and pose. She’s a bit lighter than usual – more golden. And this particular sedum seems to encourage a posture that shows the bees’ necks. It’s that little white thing between her head and thorax and it just looks…weird. Of course she has to have one – but I really wouldn’t have expected it to look like that – especially be that color. Anyway…
So so so so very cold the last couple of days. And that wind… Not sure if I’ll get any more shots this year. Plus the hives are staging now for a trip to the California almond orchards for the winter. Sad.
