Posts in Category: bee
Maine! Turtlehead and bumblebees
We have good sized stands of Turtlehead in our yard, all descended from a few plants donated by one of my wife’s friends. They are in bloom right now and being tended by a host of bumblebees. I find it interesting that I have only ever seen this particular species of bumblebee around the Turtleheads. They are just the right size, and apparently have enough strength (and determination) to force their way into the open mouths of the blossoms to gather the pollen inside, and to pollinate other flowers as they gather. It is not easy. It sometimes takes them several tries before they find just the right angle to wriggle inside…where they completely disappear for severe seconds before managing to get back out to move on to another flower. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii zoom at 105mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird and wildlife modifications. Insect recognition auto focus. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Loosestrife Honey
Western Honey Bee: Roger’s Pond Park, Kennebunk, Maine, USA, August 2024 — Loosestrife Honey sounds like a good brand name…if not for Loosestrife being so aggressively invasive here in Maine. The Honey Bees seem to enjoy it, but look how dark that pollen sack is! Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC VXD zoom at 115mm equivalent from about 5 inches. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Insect recognition auto focus. Processed in Photomator.
New Mexico! Honey
Honey Bee: Randall Davey Audubon Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, July 2024 — The plantings at Randall Davey attract a wide variety of pollinators, including, of course, the Western Honey Bee. I like the way the bee is framed here, and the dramatic lighting. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC VDX zoom at 313mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds in flight and action modifications. Insect subject recognition and focus. Processed in Photomator.
New Mexico! Honey Bee in the bee plant
Honey Bee: Randall Davey Audubon Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 2024 — The Rocky Mountain Bee-plant was, true to the name, full of bees and other insects in the gardens at the Randall Davey Audubon Center. This is common Honey Bee from someone’s hive, making the most of bloom. I used the macro region of the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom on the Sony a6700 and leaned in close…closer than a foot. The insect subject recognition works well on the Sony. Program mode with my evolving bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
New Mexico! Tiny in the bee-balm
Sweat Bee in Bee-balm: Randall Davey Audubon Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 2024 — The Randall Davey Audubon Center has a small but highly productive native wildflower and plant garden between the buildings. It is full of Bee-balm right now, and the flowers are attracting all kinds of bees, skippers, and even sphinx moths. This tiny little bee is one of the sweat bees and you had to bend down close to see them…they are so small! Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 172mm equivalent. Program mode with my evolving birds and wildlife modifications. Insect Subject Recognition turned on. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Bee in rose
Bumblebee in wild rose: Along the Kennebunk Bridle Path while looking for Egrets, this bee in a lovely wild rose caught my eye. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with insect recognition and my bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Knapweed, Bumblebee, Tarnished Plant Bug
Like the title says this is a Knapweed flower head with two visitors: a bumblebee and the tiny Tarnished Plant Bug. The bee is a pollinator, the Plant Bug is a parasite. Photographed with the OM System OM-1Mkii and the M.Zuiko ED 150-600IS zoom at 300mm equivalent from not much over a foot. Program mode. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Honey Bee on Dog Tooth Violet
Western Honey Bee on Dog Tooth Violet (Trout Lily, Adder’s Tongue): Emmon’s Preserve, Kennebunkport, Maine, USA, April 2024 — The bees and the hoverflies were very active in the early blooming Trout Lily patches at Emmon’s Preserve the other day, so I turned the dial on my camera to program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications and attempted to catch a few around the flowers. 1/2000th of a second at 15fps and bird subject recognition with eye tracking got me a number of keepers as the Western Honey Bees were busy with the flowers. OM System OM-1Mkii with M.Zuiko 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent from about 4 feet. Cropped, these are very close to 1:1 image scale. Processed in Photomator and assembled in FrameMagic.
Maine! Insect edition
From a walk around Roger’s Pond Park in Kennebunk, Maine. Banded Drone Fly, Bumble Bee, and Honey Bee…all busy gathering pollen while the September sun shines. OM Systems OM1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixomator Pro.
Maine! Bee in Goldenrod
Common Eastern Bumblebee: Laudholm Farms (Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve), Wells, Maine, USA, September 2023 — At least three species of bees and one of hoverflies were out in great numbers in the Goldenrod at Laudholm Farms on a sunny afternoon…all busy harvesting pollen. This Bumblebee is well on the way to carrying a full load. OM Systems OM-1 with the ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent from just over 4 feet. Program mode with my custom bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f6.3 @ 1/800th.