This hefty red Camellia was at a nice height for me to spot a bee on a pollen gathering mission.
The sun created some interesting shadows…
…while the bee checked every side of the tightly bunched filaments.
The bee climbed his way out of the flower before taking off.
Another bee quickly took the prime spot in this bloom.
February 2, 2024
And not a rainbow in sight!
February 2, 2024
And he didn’t like it.
As a trio of ants worked their way around the Camellia’s center the bee fidgeted away from them, finally taking off for quieter pastures.
I don’t know what the ants were up to, they just seemed to be marching around.
February 2, 2024
February 2, 2024
February 24, 2022
Good morning!
A lone bee was busy working these pink blooms on a recent morning.
The blossoms remind me of a roof-top satellite dish, communicating in secret to the bee.
He seemed to get the message.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
August 31, 2021
The early morning sun was glinting off this hive, which unfortunately was so high up I couldn’t get a sharper image.
I thought it was interesting with those lobes, and wondered if that was wax, or some sort of paper nest.
From the other side, if I had approached from the direction I probably wouldn’t have noticed it.
This last image is severely cropped, and not great detail, but notice how precise the cells are–an engineering marvel!
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
August 20, 2021
Even though these Red Camelia blooms did not have the obvious pollen as the White Camellia there was plenty of bee action.
And this bee was taking full advantage.
Lastly, a view of the full Camellia Tree, looking pretty snazzy.
Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC
February 20, 2021
This Camellia variety has the type of blossom with a prominent center and on Sunday the blooms were well visited by bees.
The bees were making a haul of pollen.
This flower was on the outside of the plant, right at my eye level making for nice closeups.
The temperature had been below freezing a few nights last week and I was rather surprised to see this much bee activity.
Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC
February 20, 2021
