BEE-tiful Saturday

Once again, I came to school to do some work.  One thing I found quite inconvenient about coming to Trent on the weekend is that all the buildings would be locked (that I have no access to), so there is no direct route from the bus stop to my office.  I guess the silver lining is that I can walk around the buildings and take some time to appreciate the nature around me.

Close-up on the lichens on the rock.

Maple flowers are now completely open.

Close-up on the flowers.  There are many insects visiting the flowers, including midges, flies, and even honey bees!


My first honey bee photos of the year!

Definitely pollinating the flowers.

After working for a few hours, I decided to see what other critters I could see behind the office building.

There were many dandelion flowers visited by sweat bees, flies, a wasp, and even a bee fly!  You can imagine my excitement being surrounded by so many insects and not knowing where to begin to photograph/document!

Sweat bee.




Even the usually-predatory wasp is out enjoying the nectar.

As I was photographing the bees, I noticed something big and hovering around the flowers.  It was a Bee Fly!  It was also around this time last year that I saw my first Bee Fly ever.

According to BugGuide, this should be the Greater Bee Fly (Bombylius major).  This is apparently a pretty common bee fly, and can easily be distinguished by the distinct wing pattern.


Such a furry body.

It was pretty difficult to get a good photo of it because it is quite skittish and get a good focus.

What an interesting/beautiful creature - the furry body, the hovering flight pattern, and the long legs and proboscis. 

Great day overall!