Or something. A couple of out of focus guests in this one. This photo is so strange. From the focus to the couple of extra critters in it to the rock itself. Lots going on and all a little beyond what I’d imagine were I to imagine a bee picture. Nature does what it does. And so does the camera. And so do I.
Tag: Bombus huntii
Another Iconic Bumble
This one is a Hunt’s Bumblebee and its’ just fantastic. Great perspective and a great look at her face and tongue. Kind of fun to get shots like this now and then. Flower looks great, too.
Been Waiting a While…Lavender
Wasn’t able to look for bees the past couple of days (art festival interfered), but today one lavender had a couple of bees. Just starting to open. Here’s a great Hunt’s bumble. Check out that orange pollen – huge chunk of it. Absolutely didn’t come from the lavender and I’m really curious about it. Happy lavender day.
Bonus: Back Catalog Bumble
So today I shot bees for a while. Sorted through the shots and figured I had about 200 or so that I could publish on the site (if I wanted to). Lots were similar to each other, of course, and that could be less than interesting. But I say that to point out that during the winter, when the bees are dormant, I do have lots of back catalog to use to come up with the daily bee.
That said, normally during the winter I scramble to find a new bee every day. That’s my habit, usually. That’s frustrating, though, in that the evenings seem to compress…and I run out of time. And bee posting can become a chore. So…frustrated with myself, I frontloaded February and March of this year – picked a shot for each day of those two months. Meant to take some pressure off myself. But…with the return of the bees (and posting “shot today” bees), I find the folder called “ready to post” burgeoning. Not that that’s a bad thing, but…
So…here’s the shot that I would have published today had the bees still been dormant (or I had not shot, etc.). It’s a great bumble (Hunt’s) on that pollen-throwing workhorse, the blanket flower. Bonus! Enjoy.
Drenched Hunt’s Bumble on the Russian Sage
This bee normally looks pretty unkempt (literally “not combed”) – the bedhead bee. And when they’re wet, it’s even more apparent. Good look early on a summer morning.
Hunt’s in Flight with Strange Light
This one sort of speaks for itself. It’s a great shot of the bee either approaching or departing. Look at that tongue! And just about everything else… Sometime I get lucky. The light, though, is fairly wonky. The bee isn’t.
Bumble on the Scabiosa
For as neat as these flowers are, I don’t get enough shots on them. Yesterday, though, there was a bumble going to work. Didn’t get many great shots because of how the bee and the flower and the shadows were (not) working together. But this one has good detail and you can see tongue. This flower is also called the pincushion flower. Really a persistent one. And a little vulnerable to the wind…at least for photography.
Hunt’s Bumble on the Russian Sage
Still too cold for bees…and might not warm up again. So here’s a sweet shot from earlier this summer of a Bombus Huntii on the russian sage. The colors in this one are neat…as is the bee itself. Been a few days since I posted a bumble.
Have been kind of dreading this transition…from fresh shots to ones from the summer. That said, there are thousands and thousands to choose from just from this year alone. So it’s more about how I feel with the summer ending rather than needing content. Enjoy.
Morning Light, Russian Sage, and Hunt’s Bumble
Lots going on in this picture, but there’s lots of continuity. Missing a festival in Ridgway, Colorado this weekend because of the stings. Feeling lousy about that.
But the bees remain… There’s something about this shot that gets me. Maybe it’s the directional thing of both the stalk and the bee. Know it has something to do with the background, too.
See if You Can Guess Which Flower This Is…
I’m pretty sure you got it right… And this bee is a Hunt’s Bumble. Note the unkempt look of it. One of my favorites for that very reason. I might have a little of that DNA in me.
