Here’s a good one from earlier in the summer. Fun depth and great look at the bee. Especially the pollen on the legs and eyes. Note, too, that she’s not got much hair left on her thorax and her wings are starting to fray.
Sorry for posting so late at night. Think it is, in part, about not being able to shoot during the day. I’ll get over it. Missing it already. Need to get going on the birds. Maybe tomorrow morning… That clickclickclick ohwow is good for my soul. And I hope yours, a little, as I post.
Another bumble on the cone flower. This one may be a golden…or may not. Third of three bees (and note there’s no honeybee in the three-fer, tho there well could have been) on the cone flower. This one was shot in some pretty bad light so there’s a bit of a graininess to it, but it’s a great look at her face.
A lefcutter this time. And an especially golden one, which again is rare in my experience. Love the eye on this one. The flower is looking a little ratty, but notice how it’s still showing and throwing pollen. Don’t deadhead these cone flowers until the bees start to ignore them. They’re kind of strange in that they keep opening up and sharing pollen long after the petals get nasty.
The next three days are shots of the same flower… A really nice, pink cone flower. And they’re to illustrate the variety of the bees that collect pollen on that flower. Today’s is a pretty rare (at least in my experience) grey and black bumble. And the sunburst in the back is neat – as are the stacked cone flowers.
Seems I haven’t gotten as many shots this summer on the cone flowers. Not sure if it’s time of day, something else weird, or other plants throwing more/better pollen. There’s a magenta one I don’t think I’ve gotten a single shot on. Anyway, here’s a great leafcutter on an echinacea – and I never use that name because I can neither remember nor spell it. Cone flower. Or, because I misheard initially, corn flower. Which is another flower entirely. It’s early. I yammer. The abdomen-up bee.
Shot yesterday late in the day. Great, messy, pollen basket on the honeybee…and the metallic green sweat bee seems interested. It ended up bumping the honey bee, but the honey bee shrugged it off and kept working on the cone flower. Most of them are looking a little haggard now, but there are a few new blossoms, too.
I can’t seem to convince the bees that they all need to stay in the same focal plane. Fun nonetheless.
I don’t recall ever having photographed this bumble before. It started out in the neighbor’s yard and I followed it across the street to our gardens. It hung around a long, long time on the cone flowers and I probably shot too many shots of it. But it’s such a neat looking one. So furry/hairy.
So…here’s one on what looks to be stacked cone flowers. Fun shot and a really great bee.
So I was able to shoot a little this afternoon (on the road again to Colorado (this time) on Thursday early) and was looking through the pics as they copied over. I mis-clicked on this one and opened my editing/shrinking program (rather than my viewing program) and this came up.
It looked nice…good…and not in need of a crop at all. The early evening light is a bit harsh on the near cone flower…but the other behind it…and the phlox there in the shadows…made me want to keep and post it as today’s bee. So. There ya go!
Here’s a neat shot of some good detail on a cone flower. I think that this bee was asleep. Didn’t move for quite a long time (apart from wiggling antennae for just a little). Very, very rare for me to have a honeybee holding still for a long time. So I got a few good shots. Almost went into the house and got a tripod to get some really close-up detail. Wish I had because, for once, there wasn’t much wind. Anyway, as is my wont, I shot handheld and it came out pretty well on the detail side of things as is.
I’m going to be at the Snowmass Art Festival (near Aspen, Colorado) with my stuff on Saturday and Sunday of this week. Drop by and have a look if you are in the area.
Fantastic bumble face today. They sure love the cone flower. That one throws its pollen in concentric rings as it opens…and really throws it for a long time. Even after the petals get all nasty looking. Don’t cut them off until the bees stop visiting…and then maybe do a little research into the medicinal value of what’s left. Apparently it makes a great tea.
In the world of photography, it’s a heresy to have the foreground out of focus (usually). I agree a little. But this one, for me, with the leading petal out of focus and the bee’s face tack sharp, is an archetypal bee-on-a-flower shot. A look I really like. And really impossible to shoot otherwise and still keep depth in the rest of the photo. So…read the rules, learn the time-honored techniques, and then strike out on your own. In photography and otherwise.
Also, this site has been getting a LOT of hits from Singapore lately. I’ve got no idea why, but welcome! Please feel free to share the link with any whom you think might enjoy. I don’t do any social media to promote it – or really do much otherwise – so spread the word and share the joy here.
