Pollinator Palooza!

As I went to fill my watering can this morning I noticed my Crepe Myrtle bushes were engulfed by bees. The bushes must have just opened a new batch of pollen laden blossoms because I had only seen the little sweat bees lately.

Here is the standard honey bee.

Good to see that my bushes take a part in making our yummy local honey 😋

I love how transparent their wings are.

I was also able to catch some shots of bumble bees.

Is that pollen on the end of its abdomen???

I love how golden the thorax looks.

Pollen collecting on the legs.

There were also a million little sweat bees, but I could not get any good pictures of them here.

So I went to my portulaca, also called rose moss or Mexican rose and captured some sweat bees there.

These guys can be very annoying with there constant pestering but rarely sting me.

Their iridescent green bodies are captivating.

Can you believe that there are over 400 different species of bees in Missouri?

Sweat bees are tiny measuring only 3 - 12 mm per stlzoo.org https://www.stlzoo.org/files/9413/3303/3161/MO_Bee_Guide_w_boarder.pdf

See how tiny this little guy is!

Once I finished my bee adventures I wondered our property to see what else I could find.

Hello beautiful Monarch!

Glad the echinacea could give you what you need.

The butterfly was in no hurry to leave and did not seem bothered by my presence.

Finally I managed get some some shots of the local hummingbirds.

This is a ruby-throated hummingbird. However, this is a female. Only males have the red throats.

This is an adult. Sometimes you can see a small patch of red forming on the throats of juveniles.

I also caught one taking a break on our fence.

Can you see her in the middle?

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the only kind old hummers we get here in Missouri.

Thanks for joining my pollinator yard party today 🐝🌸☀️🦋