Bee Bopping

I saw these bees as we were walking and they weren't moving. I thought it was getting chilly enough that maybe they had died right there. It made me pretty brave as I stuck the little camera really close snap, snap, snapping. . .

Imagine my surprise when one of them moved a little. I zipped away real quick!

Three Bee Macro Monday

I sat on the porch enjoying some of the last bits of warmth and admiring the dwindling flowers when a visitor flew up and joined me.

He buzzed this way and that and I was braver behind my camera than I ever would have been without it.

It wasn't long before we were joined by another bee.

And then another. I'm not sure I've ever seen 3 different kinds of bees in one location before.  They were all moving rather sluggishly.  I snapped these a few days ago, minutes apart, but now the flowers are nearly gone.

Macro Monday is easy to play, snap a macro (or any close-up) photo, post it on your blog and come back here and sign MckLinky. :) MM started on Sept 29, 2008 - Thanx to all of you for helping make it such a fun start to the week!

Not a solitary bee

When I was going through cancer and chemotherapy it affected more than just me. I still had children living at home, depending on me, and it changed them, their outlooks on life, and goals for their futures. My husband was a huge support, keeping me going through some of the toughest times and celebrating with me during the good times. And my parents, grandparents, extended family and friends helped make times a little easier or brighter too. I think it's much easier to celebrate remission with a whole colony of people, each one necessary. If I had been a solitary bee, the road would have felt much longer.

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~

Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz

Well, I did not attract one butterfly with the feeder. But I found a few small things with wings to take photos of anyway.

This guy is a yellow jacket.

This one is a Bald-faced Hornet, or White-faced Hornet, and he was featured in my last Macro Monday.

Bee's Knees

Wearing fuzzy vests they come dressed to dine.

Long tongues seeking nectar.

Winged creatures of different kinds.

Tasting each dessert, divine.

They bring questions to mind. Why do some bees have dark bottoms and some not so much? Why are some stripes more pronounced and some barely noticeable? Is the butterfly the same colors as the bees just trying to blend in? Why does the butterfly have a tiny body and huge wings, while the bee has small wings for its chubby body? Is there nectar in unopened buds?

Tiny Magnifications

I love snapping photos of these little bees so I can admire how they’re made. They truly are intricate! I often wonder how something appearing so flimsy and small can help they to fly and even move so fast!

A tiny grasshopper on group of blooms can be so easily overlooked, then become magnified through the lens. I remember childhood days of catching them, to have spit on me and my stained fingers happily holding a jar full of echoing jumps.

Is it a green bee? Wasp? Fly? Creepy!

Black and yellow - not a fuzzy bee, but a smooth with black cellophane wings. Big head, little butt.

A tiny grasshopper hidden on a daisy.

Maybe there’s a tiny critter hidden here?