Tag Archives: bees

Weekly Photo Challenge: Good Morning

Posted on by Fergiemoto
Sharing Breakfast
Sharing Breakfast, a photo by Fergiemoto on Flickr.  (click on photo to enlarge)

>>:::<<
bathing in pollen
before autumn awakens
summer breakfast
 >>:::<<

Whenever I can, I like to get in a dose of nature as part of my morning routine – regardless of the season or weather.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: In the Background

Posted on by Fergiemoto
Triple Opportunity
Triple Opportunity, a photo by Fergiemoto on Flickr.  (click on photo to enlarge)

>>:::<<
unplanned camouflage
invisible in plain sight
background activity
 >>:::<<

Refocus your attention to reveal a new perspective, or a new world!
(Did you also notice the little black bee in the photo?  I felt quite lucky to have captured a shot with three little critters!)

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This week’s WordPress Photo Challenge encourages us to
share a picture that says In the Background.

Linking up with:
CAMERA CRITTERS
WEEKLY TOP SHOT
MACRO MONDAY

“R” Challenge: Residence (nature), Residents

Posted on by Fergiemoto
Haunted House
Haunted House, a photo by Fergiemoto on Flickr.  Click on photo to enlarge.

>>:::<<
residence for spooks
sporting indelible costumes
haunted house
>>:::<<

Does this look spooky to you, even without seeing any of its residents?

This nest is a residence for the Bald Faced Hornet and was in my mother’s yard in her large Asian Pear tree.  It was about 3-feet off the ground and larger than a football in diameter.  When she told me about it last week while I was visiting her, curiosity motivated me to have a quick look and snap a couple of photos.  However, fear of having a painfully potent encounter with lots of small black spooky-looking things drove me away very quickly.  I have been stung before by yellowjackets and bees, and I’ve stepped on a bumble bee nest by accident – big owwwwwie for several days!!  So I decided to use Wikipedia’s photo below so you can see what the little critter looks like up close.

Bald Faced Hornet – Source: Wikipedia

Here is some information about the Bald Faced Hornet:

  • It belongs to a genus of wasps in North America called yellowjackets, but called a hornet because it builds paper nests.  It is not a true hornet.
  • Are large (greater than 15mm) with black and ivory coloring
  • Are common tree-nesting wasps
  • Are more aggressive than yellowjackets and other hornets
  • A nest can contain 400 to 700 workers
  • Will aggressively attack with little provocation, and anyone or anything that invades their space
  • Have smooth stingers, and will sting repeatedly if their nest is disturbed
  • Are known for their football-shaped paper nests
  • Nests are abandoned by winter and are not reused
  • Old nests provide good winter shelter for other insects and spiders since they are insulated from heat and cold
  • It is not considered safe to approach the nest for observation purposes
  • Their scary costumes and face masks are permanent!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

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This is for the letter “R” Story Challenge by Frizztext, to share a short story or reflection, even an aphorism using a word tagged with each letter of the alphabet.
Kim Klassen texture used – Providence

 Linking up with:
MACRO MONDAY
TEXTURE TUESDAY
OUR WORLD TUESDAY
NATURE NOTES
RURAL THURSDAY

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“N” Challenge: Nectar, Nourishment

Posted on by Fergiemoto
Nectar
Nectar, a photo by Fergiemoto on Flickr.  Click on photo to enlarge.

>>:::<<
calm reflection
sustains mind and body
emotional nectar
>>:::<<

We still have a few honeybees buzzing around drinking in the last few drops of nectar from our flowers before they are done for the season.

What nourishes you?  What is the nectar that feeds your mind, body, and/or spirit?

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Purple

Posted on by Fergiemoto
Violet Dreams
Violet Dreams, a photo by Fergiemoto on Flickr.  (click on photo to enlarge)
Linking up with Camera Critters, Rural Thursday, Weekend Flowers, Photo Art Friday, Floral Friday Foto, Flower Art Friday

>>:::<<
open invitation
attracts a welcome friend
violet dreams
>>:::<<

This lupine blossom seems to be extending an invitation to be pollinated by its buzzing friend!  Also, the surrounding blossoms create a nice purple background, in line with this week’s theme (and one of my favorite colors).

This week’s WordPress Photo Challenge is to share a photo that means PURPLE to you!

P! Challenge: Pollinator

Posted on by Fergiemoto
Pollinator
Pollinator, a photo by Fergiemoto on Flickr.  (Click on image to enlarge).

>>:::<<
“I’m busy as a bee
collecting the drink
for future queens”
>>:::<<

(“Oh wait, I AM a bee…a worker bee!”)

This bumble bee is likely a tricolored bumble bee based on my google searches (bombus ternarius).  Bumble bees are valuable pollinators and produce only enough honey to feed their young.  The ones visiting us, like this one, tend to favor the oregano blossoms in our garden and don’t seem to mind me when I have a camera directly in their faces.  They just go about their business.  However, I accidentally stumbled on a bumble bee nest one time while working in the yard…and paid for it dearly!

This post is for the “P” Challenge by Frizztext (“P” is for Pollinator)

Other articles about bumble bees: