On April 11, the honeybees finally examined the hybrid tulips.
And I caught the elusive white butterfly.
The honeybees also started enjoying the creeping thyme.
April 14, that sweet snow decorated the forsythia.
Today the wind literally blows bees off the Nanking cherry as another spring snowstorm threatens. Inside for awhile, I catch up with images from the past two weeks.
April 17, the bumblebees showed up.
April 19, honeybees were all over the European pasqueflowers.
April 20. Surprise!
And a bigger surprise, the broad-tailed hummingbirds showed up five days early.
As the golden currant blossoms begin to open, the green (or blue?) bottle flies arrive.
Nanking cherry buds begin to burst open and the little native bees are among the first to partake.
April 21, dandelions begin to pop open throughout the yard.
Bumblebees and honeybees continue to sip at the almond blossoms.
April 22, the Nanking cherry calls all species of bees in the vicinity.
And begins to get crowded.
April 23: Meanwhile, down at the pond, the honeybees have found a sweet place in the reeds to sate their thirst.
On April 24, the Nanking cherry exploded with bees of all kinds, in clouds, drunk, like me perhaps, on all the pink beauty.
Count the bees and types of bees in this image. Spring wave of the roller-coaster is in full swing. On this day, the Colonel would have been ninety-five years old. I spent the entire day with one of his last gifts to me, my Canon 50D, in a pursuit he might have considered at one time in his life a waste of time; but he introduced me to cameras, and took great pleasure during our last visit looking through his album of special photos, seeking his personal best, a shot of a duck with water dripping off its beak. I think he would have liked these. Meanwhile, my days fly by so full I can’t keep up.
As the jonquils continue blooming the occasional bee investigates.
Prunus besseyi “Pawnee Buttes,” a ground-creeping variety of the western sandcherry, begins to draw bees.
“Pink Chintz” creeping thyme blooms.
Occasional native bees and honeybees check out this little rock-garden plant whose name I’ve forgotten.
Buff little bumblebee on the golden currant.
The frenetic beeflies are everywhere, on the sandcherry…
…the dandelions…
…and the omnipresent Nepeta.
What ecstasy! Thanks for the call about the radon meter instructions. L,e
Absolutely enthralling photos, Rita… Love.
what a panoply of flowers! thanks for sharing, though it makes my garden, replete with only dandelions, feel a bit shoddy. much love, L
Rita, I continue to be astounded at how sharp and detailed your photos are of the insects and flowers. You must spend hours taking pictures and perfecting your technique not to mention, producing your blog. It’s fascinating and always lifts my spirits. Patches had surgery, she is doing well but she has an aggressive form of cancer so it’s just a matter of time until she falls ill. I’m focusing on making each day a good day for her. Same for Latte who has completely recovered from her illness as far as we can tell. Let me know if you have heard anything about Brat, or your own situation. Love, M
thank you all for appreciating the images and the effort. it does indeed take hours with the camera each day, and i get so many more shots than i can post. so hours to cull, and by then, truly, i am too tired to write. still looking into my dizzies, MRI was normal so that’s good. Brat Farrar is doing really well on his insulin shots, gaining weight, energy to chase bluebirds from window to window. xoxo
Spring certainly finds your neck of the woods way before she finds us up here at 9250 feet. With your inspiration I have begun to keep a regular journal of how the natural world changes with the seasons here at our new home. You are a gifted photographer! Today, April 29th, the wind is howling with snowflakes flying sideways past the windows. I guess that is spring in Ward. Thanks for sharing..A
Very, very cool photos. What lens are you using? I’ve been trying to get bee pictures to upload to Bumblebee Watch, without much success.
Bob
thanks. it’s a Canon 100 mm macro. i haven’t tried uploading pics to Bumblebee Watch but have been thinking about it. good luck!
Hm, maybe I should get another one. I bought a macro, the 60mm, because my wife loved taking macro shots and I thought I could do the same, but it came with, you know, instructions, so I traded it in. I’m still learning how to take pictures.
My wife loved bugs of all kinds; the Denver Museum of Nature and Science has about 850 items from her collection, most of which she bought from collectors. I think in later years she balked at killing invertebrates for collecting, partly because I didn’t, don’t do things like that.
I’ve been sawing apart old pallets to make a bee house. Eventually I’ll get it put together.
Sorry, I could have commented on the current post. Great blog, btw.
Bob