The story ā there are many variants ā is that Haldane was asked by a theologian what he could deduce about the nature of the Creator from a lifelong study of His Creation. Haldaneās response: 'An inordinate fondness for beetles.' #weevilwednesday
Bumble bee foraging on plum blossomā¦ wish I knew what kind of bumble, but I donāt have my Bumble Bees of North America with me!
Very tiny dark metallic blue-green bee hanging out looking skyward on a plum blossom thatās lost its petals
Two ladybugs in love šā¤ļøš
Bumble bee foraging on plum blossomā¦ wish I knew what kind of bumble, but I donāt have my Bumble Bees of North America with me!
Orchard trees (cherry, plum, apple, pearā¦) are excellent early spring food sources for pollinators. A sprinkling of life in our plum tree a few weeks ago šššø #bees #pollinators #ladybugs #plumblossoms
6 fuzzy bees on the ground, some of which are mating
A fuzzy bee in her burrow
A fuzzy bee in her burrow telling a male to buzz off
Busy day at the Colletes inaequalis nesting aggregation. Feels like spring is officially here :)
Happy Easter ā¤ļø Still not well, another day in bed, but hereās a beautiful Ivy Bee to brighten up your feed š
#photo #photography #photographer #oursky #insect #insects #flower #flowers #macro #macrophotography #closeup #beauty #wildlife #wildlifephotography #nikon #wild #picoftheday #aunday #bee
Close-up of a fuzzy yellow-and-black bumblebee hovering mid-air beside a soft purple flower, with its translucent wings in motion and a blurred green and yellow background
#SundayYellow #SundaySharing #Stunday #Macro #MacroPhotography #bee #weebee #EastCoastKin
If all else fails there's always a fuzz ball to lift the spirits
Lakes wide-angle macro lens sitting on weathered wood. Very long indeed, about as long as my arm!
āŖIn a case anyoneās curious, hereās what my wide-angle macro probe lens looks like. Itās not nearly as macro as my main lens, but it enables shots one wouldnāt otherwise get, particularly with bees wary of photographers. Rather unusual length for a lens, so draws a lot of odd looks!ā¬
Also I try not to linger, as bees flying nearby map objects near their nests in order to find them on their return flights. A bee scientist I read about ended up being followed by annoyed bumbles after heād spent so long near their nest entrance that they used him as a marker!
Taking video is tricky owing to having no place to stabilize my camera, and being exceptionally careful as to where I place my feet (if only I could floatā¦ stably)! Iām using a long macro probe lens so as to minimize disturbance.
Adventures in bee videographyā¦ these bees make their homes in a bustling aggregation of nesting tunnels just outside where I now live. Theyāre lovely neighbors! #bees #wildbees #beelove
John Lubbock (1883) on individuality of bees. It's always a bit sad when people write that individual differences in animal psychology are a recent discovery. Using the cutesy label of "animal personality" doesn't make it novel. The study of the phenomenon is as old as the study of animal behaviour.
Lovely NatGeo article by Hannah Nordhaus, featuring plenty of "nature's brightest thinkers", former team members Mathieu Lihoreau and Olli Loukola, plus myself (and with excellent photography by Karine Aigner): www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...
Life in an all-female society of solitary ground-nesting bees is typically peaceable. Each bee excels at finding its own distinctive nest entry.
Occasionally tempers flare when a bee ends up down the wrong burrow. In this case the mistaken bee is pulled forcibly from the burrow!
The small native beeās barely visible head with blue eyes and antennae poking out of a tightly closed orange Apricot Globemallow flower.
Change your focus, change your life.
~ā¢~
Male Globemallow Bee (Diadasia diminuta) in Apricot Globemallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua).
šæ #Invertebrates
