Profile on the Lavender

For some reason, I really like the profile shots like this one in which they’re hanging off the flowers. I shoot so many bees during the summer (literally thousands of pics a day on some days) that the shapes and attitudes of their bodies become familiar to me. This is one of the best in my mind. And the lavender is just fantastic because it is.

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Another One Tossing Around Pollen

Quick one from this morning. Shot before the sun came up over the mountain. Love that the catmint pollen is white – and that she’s making a mess. Good fun. Note the graininess of the shot. That’s caused by high ISO (which is an artifact of a fast shutter speed coupled with low light).

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Flight, Tongue, and Salvia

Yesterday was a good bee day. Some of those strange little geraniums started to open – and those the bees love. First warmer day in a long, long time (two inches of rain in the last couple of weeks??) and they were out in force.

Here’s a simple shot of one just leaving a salvia. Wings blurred beyond seeing, but a great tongue and a pollen basket just starting to fill. Seems archetypal for this site. Love it.

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More Tongue – on an Ornamental Cherry

When I figure out which variety this is, I’ll edit this post. But, for now, it’ll be “an ornamental cherry” – that’s in full bloom and just thick with bees. Here’s a nice shot of both a sweet bee and some blossoms. Happy spring! I’m lovin’ it!

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Honeybee on a Chocolate Daisy

A bit of a muddy picture, but I think that might add to the charm. Especially with the leaves in the background…lowing to yellow in the upper-right.

These chocolate daisies not only smell good, but they’re persistent flowers. They only bloom in the morning (close down early), but they go and go and go and go. We’ve had a minor frost already, yet they’re still at it. And have been all summer. They do get a little ratty looking, but one of the things I like best about them is how the blossoms look after they bloom. Great shape. I’ll post a pic soon to show what I mean. Anyway, great bee enjoying a reliable pollen source. Wonder if bees can smell (in a way that is similar to us bipeds). Hmmmm…

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