bees and rhododendrons

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I really got a good response to my previous posting of rhododendrons. It was my most-viewed-day ever. So here by popular demand are more photos, this time featuring a few other fans of flowers – bees.

The bees – especially, the big bumbly ones – like the sunshine. It makes it easier to get around. It’s pretty cool here, so there’s not a lot of them and they’re not aggressive; kind of shy, in fact. I saw one giant old ‘king bee’ that I tried to get a picture of. It was making quite a buzz! Their buzz is how they warm up their flight muscles so they can get airborne. I think it saw me and floated off away, across the street.

I have white, pink, red and lavender rhododendrons in my yard – and a few purple ones struggling for space. (I’m going to try to give them more space next year.) I have the privacy, so it’s allowed me to photograph them repeatedly under different conditions.

Seattle is renowned for its rhododendrons. In fact, there is a world-class botanical garden of rhododendrons here in Federal Way. If you like my photos, you can find photos of many more species at their website here, and even purchase plants & seeds.

I was visiting with my friend Dodie last Sunday, griping a bit about the rainy spring we’ve been having. She gently rebuffed me, pointing out how wonderfully green it makes everything.

Rightfully so. Through new eyes, I noticed how beautifully lush all the leaves on the trees were; and the luminescence of the many rhododendrons glowing through the dusky grey mist.

To see photos in full screen mode, click on photo. If they have not already been enlarged, you can then click on full screen image to zoom in.

bumblebee hovering near blossoms

close-up of bumblebee hovering

another bumblebee hovering, wrapping itself around pistils

A bumblebee nestled in flower, resting or gathering pollen. Flies like blooms, too.

I took a 13 second video of a bee on the blossoms. It’s nothing spectacular, but you can see it here If you can’t see the bee very well, try replaying it once or twice