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: bumblebee
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.
And up the Larkspur
Larkspurs can look kind of weedy sometimes. But I really like them. Especially when they’re dense. And this is a really good shot of them and the bumble – that top blossom is especially neat looking. The bumbles love them but they’re kind of hard to shoot on them because the bumbles are heavy enough to pull the stalk down some. Add a bit of a breeze to that – your inherently shaky photographer – and it gets a little rough finding that sharp focus. This one worked well, though. And don’t forget to notice the pollen baskets on either side of her.
Dark Yellow and Golden Bumble
Seems like the last few have had suspect light. And we’ll continue the streak today. This one was shot toward the end of August right at the crack of noon. The shadows on the flower indicate that it was sunny…not sure I understand the weirdness of the light. But the bee is great. Maybe this one is due for editing by someone more skilled than I. I like it, though. And she’s a gorgeous bee.
Shot at the Ogden Botanical Garden.
Workin’ the Salvia Azura
Another one with less than great light, but the plant is fantastic. And the bumble ain’t bad either. One thing I like about this plant is the blue blue blue of it. So few are this blue – usually purple sneaks in . You saw the azura in the name, right?
The other thing about this salvia is that it’s just so tall. Probably five feet at least. And each stalk comes from the ground…and it’s usually a little breezy here (or worse). So getting a sharp grab on this one is pretty rare for me. This is a good one.
Another on the Penstemmon
I’ve mentioned this before, but most of the in-flight shots that happen to be really near a flower aren’t bees approaching, but bees coming out of the flower (as is the case here). So neat that they fly backward. But full disclosure here: whenever I look at those shots, I always half-think (even though I know better) that they’re flying toward the flower. Wonder why that is.
Golden Bumble Flying – Agastache
A good August Look. This particular agastache looks kind of ratty sometimes, but the bees are always on and around it. And that counts for something. A good grab of a beautiful be looking for lunch. Busy background…but that’s reality.
Twofer in the Lavender
This was kind of interesting. Twisted around a good bit to see if I could get both faces in the focal plane. The butterfly is admittedly a bit behind, but both tongues seem to be in the right spot. Kind of a neat shot in the drizzle this afternoon.
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.
Among the Allium
Love the shapes in this one. Parts of orbs. Really wonder how the bumble sees it. I remember learning as just a really tiny kid that bees saw in “ultraviolet”. Didn’t know what that meant (and I’m still not really sure that I do) and I remember thinking about that lots. Coming to the understanding that I really was limited in what I could see (and, those elephants’ and dogs’ ranges) and hear and maybe even taste and feel and smell… Wondering if there were other senses that we (collectively) had not yet figured out. There are some real lessons here that I won’t yammer on about. One of my first memories, though, of pondering the world of bees…and then and thus…my own world, too.
