Sunflower weather

Now that the heat has hit, I can barely keep up with the flowers. This sunflower bloomed a few days ago, and today already the flowerhead is busy making seeds. The bees have done their work. Traditional varieties of sunflowers are great bee flowers. They give so generously of their pollen, that bees get covered […]

But…that’s a Wool Carder

The Wool Carder is a little bee with an outsize dose of possessiveness. Almost every afternoon, I see one patrolling the snapdragons as if making sure no other bees try to get in. Then it climbs in for a snack and zooms away. They’re called Wool Carders because the female take the fuzz off fuzzy […]

Impatient bumblebee caught in the moment

After spending a little time every day of National Pollinator Week chasing bees, I finally caught some nice pictures of a Common Eastern bumblebee. It always amuses me to see these big, fat bees landing on such small flowers as this daisy fleabane. These bees have mass! I also think the Latin name, Bombus impatiens, […]

Hunting bumblebees in the raspberries

This is one of the uncommon bumblebees I’ve been seeing lemon yellow flashes of in the raspberries. I think it’s the Perplexing Bumblebee. Better look quick, there she goes!

More syrphid flies and the prettiest bee

Here’s some more syrphid flies that I’ve seen recently.

Carpenter bees

More bees. Here’s some carpenter bees big and small. Both kinds tunnel their nests into wood, but they’re two separate families. The last few years in the spring, a big fat male carpenter bee patrols the yard. He can be pretty intimidating, flying by, but he can’t sting you. Aside from the pure bluster, you […]

A raspberry and a blueberry from the bees

Today’s harvest was brought to you by the bees. Honeybees and small carpenter bees in the raspberries. Bumblebees, too, but they’re too fast for me to get a good picture. I caught a Lasioglossum bee in the flowerhead of one of the scallions I planted last fall. And the coriander flower is showing off one […]

Tiny bees in the raspberries

I wouldn’t be looking forward to so many fruits if it weren’t for the bees. And since National Pollinator Week starts today, it seemed like a good excuse to spend a little time this morning looking for bees. It never ceases to amaze me, how many bees you can find. The big ones buzz pretty […]

It’s time to praise buttercups

It looks like it’s time for my annual post about Creeping Buttercups, or Ranunculus repens. They can really take over the place but there are three reasons why I let them:

Green bees in the spring sun

I’ve actually been a bit worried about the bees, what with all the grey weather lately. Too cool for most bees to come out. Mostly I’ve seen bumblebees lately. In the last few days, though, the nice and sunny weather is back. I think I’ve seen miner bees. I’ve definitely seen cuckoo bees. Today, I […]