I found this photo today while searching through folders of summer images on my computer and felt compelled to post it. This was a common sight in my garden last summer, especially over the weeks that liatris was in bloom. It’s a pollinator magnet and I’ll never have another garden in this climate without at least one plant in the genus. There were days when the newly opened flower spikes dragged low by the weight of bees come to feed and times when they’d stay nestled inside the blooms for ages, paralyzed in some sort of food coma as far as I could tell.
I can’t wait until next summer. I intend to spend hours set up in a chair, my camera and a notebook in hand to observe these magnificent little visitors as they conduct their daily business in my garden.
The specks of pollen/dust against the blue-black abdomen fuzz make it look like it’s a wee galaxy!
My patio chair affords me the view of velvety bumblebees prying open Turtlehead (Chelone) blossoms, disappearing inside, making loud buzzing noises and later backing out like a car exiting a garage. Endlessly fascinating.
I appreciate the information about liatris since I always like to help our pollinators. I am by no means an expert, but it looks like the bee in your photo is a native mason bee, also known an orchard bee. I was especially interested to know that they like the liatris since have been trying to increase the population of mason bees in my garden to pollinate my early blooming fruits.
Great photo! It’s a shame our world is as it is, and bees have been dying by the millions. I can only hope changes are inbound and we as a society learn to live in unity with nature.