Tag: bee

Garden friends spotted in my garden

Post author By Barbara
Post date May 12, 2012
10 Comments on Garden friends spotted in my garden

I love walking through my garden, but when I stop and bend down, I see so much more! I have so many active friends that work and play in my garden. Let me introduce some of them to you.

My sunbirds are back and enjoying the Pineapple Sage bush – they frequent this bush, so my next photograph shoot will hopefully catch the splendid male.

Lots of Praying Mantis, I am happy to say.

This is an unusually looking one!

My bees are always welcome – we need to be kind to the bees!

My favourite of all – the chameleon!! Fat and happy – I think she is pregnant! What do you think?

This sign keeps reminding me of my best friend who shares my garden with me and cares when I least feel like it and always gives me an encouraging word. AND the happy trips to the nursery – thanks my buddy!

Happy Gardening xxxx

Tags bee, chameleon, praying mantis, sunbird

Christine's garden Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous Trees

Dance of the Bees

The following buzzing conversation is based (albeit very loosely) on true fictional tales. The names of the Bees have been concealed in order to protect their buzzing identity.

Overheard on location in Claremont, Cape Town
The Stage: Australian frangipani tree (Hymenosprum Flavum)
Cast of characters (in order of appearance): Bee 1; Bee2; Woman with camera, Bee 3 and Bee4

Bee 1: Buzzz … where is that human now with her camera? Doesn’t she know I have lots to do today, I need to pollinate the flowers and gather nectar …
Bee 2: She better get here soon, the nectar from these blossoms is calling me! And have you seen all the pollen?

Enter: Woman with camera

Bee 1: At last … let’s get on with the show!
Bee 2: Quick, I’ll buzz on over that way whilst you do a few dive bombs …
Bee 1: Ok, I’ll give her a few pirouettes, that should make her smile. (It does!)
Bee 2: Let’s hope she’s focused the camera properly and got the right lens, so we can get back to our flowers!

Bees 3 & 4 appear from the side of the tree …

Bee 3: Bzzzzz, I don’t have time for this today, too much nectar here in the Australian frangipani tree, got to get to it before the darn birds get here!
Bee 4: Me too, you guys can do all the pirouettes you want, I’m starving!
Bee 1: Well that’s very un-sporting of you guys. After all she waters and feeds the plants so we can eat … and doesn’t use any insecticides on them so we are safe! The very least we can do is put on a bit of a show for her.
Bee 2: I’m with Bee 1! Lets get this party started …

Bee 3 & 4 go about the business of pollinating and whatever it is bees do whilst Bee 1 and Bee 2 proceed to do a lovely dance for Woman with camera.
Woman with camera is well pleased with the 200+ shots she took and hopes to have at least 6 she can use.

Woman with camera: Thanks my little Bee friends for the great show! Enjoy your buzzing around the blooms!
Bee 1 & Bee 2: Buzzzz and Thankzzzz! See you again soon!

Photos shot on location

Click to enlarge to see the dance of the Bee!
[one_half]The Stage: Australian frangipani tree[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Bee 1 checks out the scene[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Bee 2 gets ready for action[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Bee 1 doing a pirouette[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Around and around …[/one_half]

[one_half_last]and around she goes[/one_half_last]

From the Bees and I, we wish you …
Happy Gardening
xxx

Tags bee, bees

Christine's garden Gardening Home page features

Bee-ootiful

I love seeing the bees buzzing around my garden. When I see them busily buzzing around from flower to flower then I know I am doing something right by providing them with nectar and pollen to attract them to my garden. The sun came out for a short while today so I sat in a puddle when the drizzling stopped to watch them buzzing from flower to flower in the Rose Bed. The only flowers they seem interested in right now are the Alyssum I planted here. I never realised Alyssum had any fragrance until I sat there waiting to capture at least one photograph of the bees and realised they do smell – quite pretty actually when nothing much else is going on in the garden. It was a lovely half hour spent amongst the flowers and the bees before it started drizzling again and I ran for cover.

Oh … and in case you are wondering, I only managed to get one half-way decent photograph of the bee in that half hour. Photography, like gardening, takes practice. But as they say, practise makes perfect. I’ll get there, one day (I hope). If nothing else, I’m learning to be patient!

Happy gardening
xxx

Tags alyssum, bee, bees