When I get discouraged about the state of humankind and its dwindling kindness I go outside and get some restoration from Mother Nature who nurtures me always. This spring I was photographing my Solomon's Seal plants for the plant sale. I had thinned the bed to a single row, as they spread easily and were crowding the yew behind them. (That jar is an old compost jar which has a broken lid and I did not want to throw it out...so maybe it could be a frog shelter.)
The beauty of Solomon's Seal is mostly in the foliage as the blossoms are very small and hang like delicate white bells hidden beneath the leaves. This one is a variegated variety and thus even more attractive.
The tiny blossoms are almost an afterthought.
Now to get to the title of my post. The bumblebee was hovering around these plants, and then he picked one of the open blossoms to thrust his head into the tiny mouth of the blossom. He could not fit, but was persistent and must have eventually gotten a little something as he went on to the next open flower. While I did not catch his persistence by camera, I did catch him in flight.
He certainly persisted.
That's a great shot! I love bumble bees with the way they snug into little flowers or ones so delicate that the bee's weight drags them down. all species of bumble bees are endangered. mulch in the gardens looks nice and tidy but also prevents bumble bees from being able to nest in the ground.
ReplyDeleteJust love bumblebees, always grow foxgloves for them, they can also nip a hole from the back to get in some flowers, like antirrinhums. It would be a miracle if I spelt that name right, so it is really called snapdragon.
ReplyDeleteStunning bee photo!
ReplyDeleteAbout frog shelter, on the deck an old dish pan with plants debris filled up with rain to form a tiny pond environment. Amazing that a frog did shelter there. I'm guessing the decay scent of plants, soil and water attracted the frog.
I was just photographing Solomon's Seal in my garden yesterday. No bumble bee though. There is a marked absence of bees here so far this year. I do hope our bees continue to persist, as do we, us humans, looking for a bit of sweetness.
ReplyDeleteMust be an optical elision, clearly those tiny wings could not beat fast enough to keep that large body air-born...could they? Excellent photo.
ReplyDeletePersistence often pays off.
ReplyDeleteLovely Solomon's Seal, it is a beautiful, and the Bee, not quite into its life.
ReplyDeleteYes, mother nature can make us happy even if some of the world is pretty ugly.
ReplyDeleteHope the bee got enough to make her happy.
ReplyDeleteSo do you, and I am grateful.
ReplyDeleteTabor, these are gorgeous images! You have bumbles and blooming Solomon's Seal already? I am a tad envious.
ReplyDeleteOur bumbles are still huddled underground and wearing their parkas.
The fuzzy pink images I posted this morning are either sugar maple or red maple buds. I will have to wait a few days to know which.
What a delight those miniature little blooms are. I can’t even remember the last time I saw a bumblebee. They used to be so prevalent where I lived in the Great Lakes State as a child. My cousin’s husband conducted significant bee research there at Ohio State Univ., previously was in Iowa, that resulted in being recognized as universally groundbreaking, establishing bee genetics responsible for some behaviors. He was very concerned about bee survival issues.
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