During these last few days of summer, the bees seem especially busy. I love the sight of bees covered in pollen, especially unusual ones like this striped bee (I think it is a bee, but would welcome corrections to my identification).
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
My wife and I have been taking pictures of the bees feasting on Goldenrod. Last night she said that she loves seeing them when they are covered in pollen. Great minds!
I like seeing them that way too. Bees in ecstasy!
I agree..my favorite to photograph is pollen covered bees….I feel the pollen reflects light, but maybe it is just what it appears….
oops…lol…my mistake-of course it reflects light…hard to get the “detail” I want with that pollen…pretty dense I have observed + loads them down
Wonderful colours, detail and background.
Thanks, Lyle. Today was gray and rainy, so I really liked being able to post a bright, colorful image.
Lovely capture Mike but I am not too sure it is a bee. The hind leg is certainly not a female bee but I you have a lot of different ones in the States. I was also thinking of a hornet. Amelia
I was basing my initial identification primarily on the insect’s behavior more than on its appearance. I’m beginning to think that probably it is some kind of hornet or other kind of wasp.
Definitely a wasp or hornet, but hard to ID for sure because of all the pollen dusting. What a sweet shot!
Thanks for confirming my more recent suspicions. The behavior was so bee-like that I initially assumed it was a bee. Whatever the case, I like the way the image turned out.
Unbelievable detail – how awesome to see the specks of pollen covering his (her?) body!
Thanks. One of the reasons that I like my macro lens so much is its ability to capture details like the pollen.
I, too, like seeing bees covered in pollen. This is an especially excellent photo. 😀
That is a suberb photo Mike, fab amount of detail.
Oh could it be some sort of nomada bee they look a lot like wasps
Bee or wasp it looks happy frolicking in the pollen