My eyes were attracted to the pinkish-colored asters when I spotted them last Friday at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge and I moved closer to investigate them more closely. I was delighted to see several green metallic sweat bees (g. Agapostemon) busily gathering pollen. I have always loved the coloration of these sweat bees that are so much smaller than the bumblebees and carpenter bees that I am more used to seeing.
The sweat bees were in almost constant motion and I got a little dizzy as I tried to track their circular movement around the center of the little flowers. I was happy that I was able to get a few shots in which the speckled eyes of the bees are visible—you may want to double-click on the images to enlarge them and see this cool little detail.
Asters generally appear in my area in late summer and early fall, another sign that the seasons are starting to change. I am not ready to let go of summer, though I must confess that I enjoy the somewhat cooler weather that we have been experiencing, especially during the nighttime hours.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
These photos are just so pretty I can’t take my eyes off them. I’m with you~reluctant to part with summer but glad for some coolness. I’ve just been reading about the fires in CA~my poor homeland is frying to a crisp. I wish we could send them some coolness…and rain!
Nature is so colorful and your lens catches it so perfectly💓💚
Thanks, so much. It’s quite a treat when both the subject and background are that colorful.
Very nice Mike! And great detail!
Thanks, Reed.
A bee with the colors of a fly… never seen it before. Thanks for the info 😉
Incomparable nature
Nature never fails to surprise and delight me. I never seem to run out of things to photograph.
The color contrast is wonderful – great shots, Mike!
Thanks, Eliza. The green metallic color of the bee sparkles in the bright sunlight and looks wonderful, especially when there is a contrasting color like the pinkish color of the aster.
Sweat bees are beautiful with their metallic color and the flowers makes for a nice combination well captured, Mike.
Thanks, Steve.