Hanging By A Stamen

Hanging by a stamen.
Hanging by a stamen.

I saw a big happy bumble browsing the blossoms of the ornamental pear that grows next to my deck. The top branches lean sideways far enough to see them right outside the bathroom window and I and my cats had front row seats to watch this big slow-moving black and yellow bee in the early morning sunlight.

From the side.
From the side.

I had to photograph through my screen, though, and you’ll see an odd doubling of some of the edges of the bee and flowers. Bumblebees will not run away if they see movement or “hear” noise in the form of vibrations as other bees will often flee so I could have pushed the screen aside and gotten a clearer shot, but I wanted to make sure I got a few good shots first. Often enough I try to prepare everything for a clear photo but by that time my subject has decided to move on!

A pretty morning.
A pretty morning.

Bumblebees are as imperiled as other bees, and in some ways are more important to pollinating certain crops. That loud vibrating buzz can actually shake the pollen off of one flower and onto another so that the bee doesn’t have to visit each flower to effect pollination as do other bees.

Falling!
Falling!

A female bumblebee can sting repeatedly, but they generally ignore humans and animals. Most of the time they’ll just move away from something that gets in their way so they may fly around you and even land on you, but they’ve got to be pretty stressed to sting you.

A busy bee.
A busy bee.

The blossoms will only last a few days so I will likely not have another opportunity to photograph a big bumbling bumblebee in the pear tree until next year. but I really like the effect of the screen on this one. You can learn more about bumblebees on this study page Bumblebee.org or visit the Wikipedia page.

Happy.
Happy.
This is shared in Inspire Me Monday on Create With Joy.

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All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit “purchasing” for availability and terms.

0 Comments

  1. These shots really capture the beauty and precariousness of these benevolent creatures’ lives. Amazing what you can see in your own backyard!

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