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Friday 13 May 2016

Flight Of The Bumblebee

There I was, just minding my own business, taking photos of our meagre blooms in the garden, and BAM - there was a huge bumblebee right in front of me, busily gathering nectar from those blooms. I like to think that he was a frugal bee. "Not much here, but I'll take every drop so it won't go to waste ..."

Or maybe he knows that, in a little while, if he can survive on dandelions and the neighbours' flowers as well as our puny offerings, he'll have more of the good stuff than he knows what to do with. We have a twenty foot row of spirea bushes along our backyard deck and it's a popular spot for bees in late spring when it blooms.

Hang in there, BB. Better days are ahead.

Here's the little (big) guy. I particularly like it when he sticks his whole head in the bloom. It's like he's trying on a bunch of hats, with mucho gusto:



I hope everyone has a bloomin' good weekend!

14 comments:

dinthebeast said...

We have three colors of tiny flower all over our back yard, and the bees seem to like them as much as the larger flowers growing around the fences. Yesterday, on my exercise walk back there, I saw three blue and black dragonflies, the skinny little kind. Actually, there are a plethora of bugs back there; moths, beetles, crane flies, and ants. We're thinking about planting some milkweed to attract Monarchs, but we haven't gotten around to it yet.

-Doug in Oakland

Elephant's Child said...

You can see exactly where 'busy as a bee' came from can't you?
And a wonderful weekend to you too.

Joanne Noragon said...

"Busy as a bee" does't really cover it, does it?

jenny_o said...

Yes, if you pay attention there's another whole tiny world in small wild spaces, isn't there?

jenny_o said...

Yes, and he was pretty efficient, too. The two things don't always go together :)

jenny_o said...

He wasn't wasting any time - or any movement either.

Mr. Shife said...

Looks like I'm a little late to the party to chime in with busy as a bee. I appreciate bees and I am grateful for what they do, but I can't get that close to them because I'm allergic.

Geo. said...

What a great clip! I've been communing with the bees lately too and enjoying their cheerful company.

jenny_o said...

Oh, wow - not a good plan to be near them, for sure. It's scary what something that small can do, eh?

jenny_o said...

There's something about bees that takes me back instantly to my childhood, probably because I spent more time outside then. I associate them with summer and quiet days. So I get what you mean.

Chicken said...

Hard-working little bees. They have their work cut out for them year.

jenny_o said...

You're right. On both counts.

Betsy MacWhinney said...

Oooh, loved the movie! What's that blue flower?

jenny_o said...

I thought you might enjoy that bee, Betsy :) That flower is lungwort although it goes by several common names including "Mary and Joseph", which is what I call it. On mine, the blue flowers bloom first, followed by pink flowers, so by now there are both blue and pink flowers on those plants. They are a shade plant, by the way. Here's a good link: http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/lungwort/growing-lungwort-flower.htm