Honey Bee Mortality

[NorthernWinos]

Went out to the Butterfly Garden this afternoon...things are starting to bloom...

The Bees are working over the chives...

Many different paint jobs on these Bumble Bees...

And on the Bachelor Buttons...

Now the seeds will be fertilized...then I have to cut them off soon so they don't reseed everywhere....

 

[PeterZ]

Wow, Northern! Do you have a digital SLR with a macro lens?

 

[Wade E]

A what with a who?

Digital SLR, is that a Mercedes?

 

[NorthernWinos]

Just a cheap-o Fuji camera...sometimes you get lucky. I take many photos to get a good one....I want a better camera when our ship comes in.

 

[NorthernWinos]

They look so nice a fuzzy up close like that...

Guess they aren't cute to you guys who get reactions...

 

[jobe05]

NW, for us amature photo takers, I don't think that there is a better camera than a Fuji. I had an older 2.0 megapixal and my wife got me a newer Kodak 5.0 and I hate it compaired to my Fuji, which I gave to my youngest son. While in NYC, I had taken over 700 pictures......., about 400 are somewhat veiable, and maybe 200 are worth saving, or printing. I guess bigger isn't always better.

 

[grapeman]

I have always thought that if NW only uses an el cheapo camera- think what she could do with a good one. Here work would be beyond magazine quality. I think that woman has some really exceptional talents

 

[NorthernWinos]

Gee...thanks guys....

As you can see I have a lot of time on my hands...and much of it is spent smelling the roses.

 

[Wade E]

I envy that NW. Im so tired of being rushed through everything here. I
would love to take a step towards being more country.

 

[rgecaprock]

They almost look "huggable"

Ramona

 

[NorthernWinos]

They really are cute...they are strong too...they grab a flower with their feet and just stuff their heads into the flowers and hang on...

They spend some time on the Chives so are easy to film, as there are many florets to each flower and they check each one out....Now they are about done with the chives.....I will cut them off now...if I don't they drop a zillion seeds that sprout everywhere...

The flavor of the week...the Raspberry flowers...

The Raspberry flowers don't really seem open yet, but the bushes are buzzing.
The bees don't spend much time on each flower, so are a bit harder to film on them..


When they say 'Busy as a Bee' I now see what they mean.


Of all the bees I have watched this week I haven't seen many Honey Bees....the area hives are short...not many supers on top of the hive...
So, maybe there are not many Honey Bees in Northern Minnesota.....Thank God for the Bumble Bees....they are working overtime.


There are lots of butterflies too....do they pollinate???
Monarch....

Tiger Swallowtail....

And more....

This has been fun!

 

[Waldo]

I sure enjoy your photography NW. Thanks for sharing

 

[bmorosco]

Great shots Northern!!!

 

[Wade E]

While in the Bronx zoo we went into the Butterfly garden which we
thought was the best part of the zoo. The place was just full of them
and they landed all over you. They had fans to blow them in as you
walked in and fans to blow them off of you as you walked out.

The first one is my wife(hiding behind someone as to not get a picture of her) with a butterfly that landed on her finger.

 

[grapeman]

NW- I love the closeups o the bees- but could you back off a litttle on the zoom and get some pitures of all those beautiful flowers. The one with the irises is just beautiful.

 

[PolishWineP]

We have loads of monarchs too! I believe that they too will pollinate. I have 5 or 6 monarchs on 1 french lilac bush yesterday. We also have a bumble bee nest along the concrete of our house

and quite a few hornets. But I don't dare do anything about them at this time of year with the shortage of honey bees.

 

[NorthernWinos]

I would love to go onto a Butterfly building like that and see so many at once...however the crowds would turn me off...just a country gal at heart.

 

[NorthernWinos]

I went out this morning to cut off the chives, but the bees werestill working them over...

As well as some other flowers...

And...then there are those 'Flying Flowers' on the Iris'...Got lucky with a couple...

Sunday was a perfect day...Sunny and warm...got lots of the yard mowed...

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[rgecaprock]

I just wish I could walk out my door and into a beautiful garden like you, NW. My little world is so confined but thriving. My Plumeria is blooming this year. It is so surprising....it has never bloomed and I've had it for about 3 years and I'm hoping that it has something to do with the Alaskan More Bloom I used on it.

I also found a muscadine arbor I will be raiding soon!!

If you are wondering what the brown leaves are......the tractor exhaust was close to the vines and a few of the leaves were burned...no harm done!! The sun got through and these are the ones I found getting ripe.

RamonaEdited by: rgecaprock

 

[Wade E]

Enough Muscs for a ___ (insert # here) gallon batch?