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.

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