2013/04/27

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.

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Close-up on the lichens on the rock.

Maple flowers
Maple flowers are now completely open.

Maple flowers

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

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My first honey bee photos of the year!

First Honey Bee Photo of 2013
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!

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Sweat bee.

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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.

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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.

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Such a furry body.

Greater Bee Fly (Bombylius major)
It was pretty difficult to get a good photo of it because it is quite skittish and get a good focus.

Greater Bee Fly (Bombylius major)

Greater Bee Fly (Bombylius major)
What an interesting/beautiful creature - the furry body, the hovering flight pattern, and the long legs and proboscis. 

Great day overall!

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