Bee-hinds

One of the tricky thing about photographing bees is their speed! Sometimes I can't see them, but I can hear them so I just point and shoot in that direction. Other times, I can see them, or the one whose picture I'd like to take, but the girls are in a hurry and don't like to pose very long...

On a few recent attempts, I've ended up with only bee-hinds! Can you spot them?

Bee-hind on the walk to Temniac, France.

Bee-hind in the public garden at Domme, France.

Bee-hind in the wisteria, Sarlat, France.

Temniac Blooms

It was a beautiful day for a walk from Sarlat to Temniac and so many blooms to see along the way! The crab apple trees were humming with bees, I couldn't resist trying to catch the image. Looking into the sun with the camera, I didn't know what would appear. When I got home, each picture had a bee in it! Lucky day :)

Purple Iris - reminds me of my Grandma's garden...

Happy Spring '13!

I've got the first bee spotting of 2013, so it must be time to post :) These gardens are too beautiful not to include...This is a simple "green space" near our hotel in Bordeaux, France. It's unbelievable, especially coming form snow at home!

There were even roses blooming in this little oasis.

I visited the public gardens which were breathtaking, and bright with splashes of color...

Best part of the day, a bee working hard on a pansy!

Gil's Garden

I went to visit my friend and urban gardener extraordinaire, Gil, recently and got a beautiful sunny day to check out his garden wonderland! He has maximized growing in a mid-sized Minneapolis yard to include squash, melons, more tomato varieties than I could count, herbs, kale, cabbage, cucumbers tomatillos,  as well as amaranth and other grains. What a green thumb! But can you guess what caught my eye? An urban hive - no wonder his bounty is so great! Bees love to pollinate fruits and vegetables, the shape and color of the flowers attract them. But, grains are not pollinated by bees, rather, by the wind! Here is the hive and a rabbit waiting for us to leave so it could sneak a snack :)

The bee and butterfly population in our garden is decreasing as the days get cooler and the flowers near the end of their season...The sunshine helps! These wondrous creatures have been working hard all summer to gather enough nectar and pollen to feed themselves over the winter. The bees store honey (and protein) around the queen and the brood with extra stored above them in the hive. This honey is the food for the bees during the winter. Bees can survive winter in Minnesota, but the colony needs to weigh 130-180# in our northern climate to get all the way through until springtime! The bees have been too fast for me lately, but in these photos they are caught in flight :)