Green bee and aster

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Green bee and aster

September 8, 2020 by Mike Powell

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.

Posted in Bees, Flowers, Gardening, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, Uncategorized, wildlife | Tagged aster, Canon 50D, Fort Belvoir VA, genus Agapostemon, green metallic bee, Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, metallic green sweat bee, sweat bee, Tamron 180mm | 14 Comments

14 Responses

on September 8, 2020 at 9:17 am | Reply melissabluefineart

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!
on September 8, 2020 at 11:19 am | Reply Peakspeak

Nature is so colorful and your lens catches it so perfectly💓💚
- on September 9, 2020 at 7:30 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, so much. It’s quite a treat when both the subject and background are that colorful.
on September 8, 2020 at 2:57 pm | Reply Reed Andariese

Very nice Mike! And great detail!
- on September 9, 2020 at 7:30 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Reed.
on September 9, 2020 at 2:22 am | Reply picpholio

A bee with the colors of a fly… never seen it before. Thanks for the info 😉
on September 9, 2020 at 3:16 pm | Reply crucialnotes

Incomparable nature
- on September 10, 2020 at 8:52 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Nature never fails to surprise and delight me. I never seem to run out of things to photograph.
on September 9, 2020 at 9:31 pm | Reply Eliza Waters

The color contrast is wonderful – great shots, Mike!
- on September 10, 2020 at 8:09 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  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.
on September 11, 2020 at 4:37 am | Reply Steve Gingold

Sweat bees are beautiful with their metallic color and the flowers makes for a nice combination well captured, Mike.
- on September 11, 2020 at 6:42 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Steve.
on October 12, 2020 at 3:19 am | Reply krikitarts

I’m way late here, still catching up from our family trip to Wanaka, but had to tell you how much I like these. I’ve been in platonic love with the green metallic bees since I saw my first one several decades ago, and they make such an elegant contrast to these asters. Wonderful post, Mike.
- on October 12, 2020 at 8:11 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Gary. The green metallic color on a bee is so unexpected and so delightful–it is easy to fall in love with them.