It did not seem like there was much pollen inside of each little phlox flower, but bees were busily collecting it when I spotted several of them last Saturday at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Virginia. I love the way that some bees, including honeybees, collect pollen in little pouches on their back legs. When the pickings are really good, I have seen those pouches, which technically are called corbiculae, so full and bulging that they seem ready to burst—that was not the case this early in the spring, when not very many flowers were in bloom.
I was pleasantly surprised when I managed to capture a bee in flight in the second photo below as it surveyed the phlox flowers and planned its next assault. My 180mm macro lens is notoriously slow to acquire focus, so I rarely try to use it to try to capture moving subjects. The lens also is so noisy when focusing that one of my friends calls it “The Grinder.” Nonetheless, my trusty Tamron lens is my constant companion during the warm months and it is the one I use most often for my insects and other macro shots.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Such a beautiful time of year to be alive.
Grind away, Mike, those shots are crystal clear!
Thanks, Chris. In some situations I will switch to manual focusing, which can be both quicker and quieter. It also helps me to ensure that the camera focuses on my desired subject and not on a distracting background element.
Great photos, Mike. It seems that when the bees are in a happy place, they aren’t bothered by those of us trying to get their pictures.
Thanks, Dan. In my experience, your observation has been true. When the bees are busy, they don’t seem to care that I am really close to them–they are hyper-focused on their work.
Great photos. I too spend time exploring the garden. We’ve recently started experimenting with macro photograph with was wonderful results.
The world of macro photography is an amazing one and it is easy to be drawn into seeing the world in a different way. Good luck with your macro photography.
Very nice Mike! Enjoyed seeing your images!