Love, Joy and Peas: Search results for bees

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Friday, June 13, 2014

Little Bees and Big Flowers: This Week in My Maryland Garden

Happy floral Friday! This week in my Maryland garden features six flower photos and three have little bees in them. The big echinacea above is the same one featured last week, but with its petals wide open. What a difference a week makes!

This is my very first yellow primrose bloom, courtesy of my friend Mary (thank you, Mary!). Can you see the little bee on it's petal?

I love raindrops on roses. The glistening petals seem to beg for a photograph.

My red coreopsis started blooming this week and the bees have already found it.

The bees also love our pink spirea, which also started blooming this week.

And our Shasta daisies also started blooming this week. It's definitely a great week for first blooms of 2014. Thank you for this mini tour of my Maryland garden! May the God who created all the beautiful flowers bless and keep you!

Related posts:
Last week in my garden: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/06/day-lily-primrose-echinacea-petunia-and.html
Bees, butterflies, birds and flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/09/flowers-bees-butterflies-and-birds.html
Bees and sunflowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/08/bees-fighting-over-sunflower-photo.html
Bees and bright flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-butterfly-bee-and-bunch-of-beautiful.html
Mary's garden: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/05/marys-amazing-garden-retreat.html

Friday, August 1, 2014

Busy Bees on Beautiful Blooms: Zinnia, Golden Sundrop & 3 Kinds of Echinacea

Happy floral Friday! Welcome to my weekly "This week in my Maryland garden" feature! While reviewing this week's photos, I noticed a theme and thought you might enjoy these close up photos of bees on the blooms. The echinacea (coneflower) seem to be particularly attractive to the bees.

But the zinnias and marigolds draw their fair share too. The zinnia in the photo above looks red but it's actually pink.

I think this is our third year having yellow echinacea. The moth is easier to see in the photo above but the bee is busy digging for pollen at the top of the middle coneflower.

Years ago we had golden sundrops and they flourished until the rabbits discovered how tasty their leaves were. This spring I planted six new ones in an area that I don't often see rabbits. Hopefully they'll remain rabbit free and we and the bees can enjoy their pretty flowers for years to come.

This magenta coneflower doesn't look much different from the regular purple echinacea (top photo in this post) but it's color is much more vivid in person and I love it.

Hope you enjoyed this week's mini photo tour of my Maryland garden! May God bless you!

Related posts:
Little bees, big flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/06/little-bees-and-big-flowers-this-week.html
Fighting bees on sunflowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/08/bees-fighting-over-sunflower-photo.html
Heat beating flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/07/heat-beating-flower-photos-this-week-in.html
Autumn bee and flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/10/autumn-maryland-garden-flower-photos.html

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Sunflowers and Bees at McKee Beshers Wildlife Management Area

Happy wild Wednesday! I hope you enjoy my bee and sunflower photos from McKee Beshers Wildlife Management Area. Today was my second ever visit but I hope to return again.

I thought this bee in flight over the sunflower field was neat.

Some people bring ladders, chairs and stools but I just did the best I could with what God gave me.

It really is amazing to see so many sunflowers with bees buzzing about happily.

I feel blessed to have been able to enjoy such a beautiful experience. God is good!

Thank you for visiting! May God bless and keep you!

Related posts:
Battling bees and sunflowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/08/bees-fighting-over-sunflower-photo.html
Teddy bear sunflower: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/07/teddy-bear-sunflower-black-eyed-susan.html
Sunflower and more: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/06/sunflower-day-lilies-vinca-and-mystery.html

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Butterflies, Honeybees and Moths Love Agastache Flowers

Happy wild Wednesday! I'm really thrilled with the way the agastache (also known as hyssop) flowers are attracting a nice range of insect wildlife. We put in five plants this spring and I suspect we'll add more next year.

I'm especially happy to see honeybees on the agastache. We get lots of bees but honeybees seem to be in the minority.

If you look closely you can see at least three skipper moths on this hyssop plant.

While not technically a good picture, I like that the moth is coming in for a landing while a honeybee is enjoying another flower. These insects know how to share.

Thank you for visiting. May God bless you!

Related posts:
Big bees: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/08/busy-bees-on-beautiful-blooms-zinnia.html
Dogs and bees: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/10/dogs-and-bees-at-us-national-arboretum.html
Bees and flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/10/neat-flowers-bees-and-sun-effects.html

Friday, July 8, 2016

Red Coreopsis, Purple Coneflowers, Yellow Day Lilies, Sunflowers and Fairy Marigolds

Happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" The red coreopsis is still blooming heavily and is often visited by bees.

The echinacea, also known as purple coneflower, is also blooming heavily. This old fashioned purple coneflower not only survived but made many volunteer babies which have now formed a mini echinacea field. I'm thrilled because Bermuda grass invaded that bed and echinacea is one of the few things strong enough to thrive with it tangled in its roots.

Last week I featured our double orange day lily but this week the bright yellow is the day lily star. My favorite thing about it is that it was a gift from some kind neighbors (they wish to remain anonymous) but I love the true yellow color too.

Last year we planted a few sunflowers but this year we didn't plant any. It was really exciting to see this volunteer sunflower develop from one of last year's mother plants. It's not in a convenient place (it's crammed in between a rose bush and some very robust oregano) but I'm letting nature take its course and just enjoying it.

Another volunteer is this teeny tiny marigold. I think of it as my fairy marigold, although I don't remember its actual name. The flowers are about the size of a dime and the foliage is feathery.

For me, one of the greatest delights in life is gardening. I love the happy surprises, watching things grow (especially from seed) and seeing nature take its course during the year. God certainly was creative and generous when He came up with so many amazing plants for our world.

Thank you for visiting! May God bless and keep you!

Related posts:
Butterflies on coneflowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/07/butterflies-and-bees-love-purple.html
Bees on pretty flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/08/busy-bees-on-beautiful-blooms-zinnia.html
Dew drops on flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/08/dew-drops-bees-and-pretty-flowers.html

Friday, August 15, 2014

Chrysanthemum, Obedient Plant, Tithonia, Dahlia and Bachelor Button Bloom Photos

Happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" Our first chrysanthemum flowers of the year appeared this week. I love this sunny yellow color.

The obedient plants line our side yard and are attracting many bees. Usually they are also covered in butterflies but this year we haven't seen as many butterflies as usual.

This week also saw our first and second tithonia blooms. These are plants we start from seed every year and we got a late start so it's no surprise that they're late in blooming but the flowers are welcome. Usually they attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.

I took this photo after a heavy rain and the beautiful dahlia was soaked. I love the varied colors in the dahlia and different shapes of the raindrops.

Last week I showed you our miraculous first bachelor button flower but it wasn't the healthiest looking thing so here's a nicer photo. They're small, delicate flowers.

I hope you enjoyed this week's mini photo tour of my Maryland garden! May God bless you!

Which is your favorite photo from this post? Do you grow any of these flowers? Do you save seeds or have any seed saving tips?

Related posts:
Bees on flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/08/busy-bees-on-beautiful-blooms-zinnia.html
Sunflowers, dahlias and more: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/07/sunflowers-dahlias-marigolds-verbena.html
Dahlia macro photos: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/10/delightful-dahlia-close-up-photos.html
Cat enjoys dinner plate dahlia: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/08/cat-enjoys-my-first-dinner-plate-dahlia.html

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Butterflies and Bees Love Purple Coneflowers

Happy wild Wednesday! I took this week's photos in my own garden. What a blessing it is to enjoy so many flowers and so much cute insect wildlife.

The purple coneflowers (also known as echinacea) seem to be most popular with the bees and butterflies this year, with the giant zinnias a close second.

We must have some undesirable insect eating at the purple coneflower petals but I think they're still pretty, even with partially chewed parts.

Although it's not technically a good photo, I liked the fact that there were two moths on echinacea flower heads in the image above.

As you can see, the purple coneflowers bloom at different heights. Although we've put in a wide variety of coneflowers, the old fashioned purples seem to thrive the best in our Maryland soil.

Hope you enjoyed this week's wildlife photos. Which did you like best? Whatever you prefer, I thank you for visiting and pray that God will bless you!

Related posts:
Cute bugs on flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/06/cute-critters-on-flowers.html
Bees on flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/08/busy-bees-on-beautiful-blooms-zinnia.html
Giant pink zinnia and more: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/07/zinnias-roses-joe-pye-weed-day-lilies.html

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Bees Fighting Over Sunflower Photo Series With Neat Motion Picture

Today at the U.S. National Arboretum I enjoyed watching these bees fight over this sunflower. What I didn't know when I loaded these photos is that Google's magic will make a motion picture out of such a series. It's the last photo and I hope the motion shows for you as it did for me. I was really tickled by this newly discovered feature.

Above you can see a bee coming in to attack the one already on the sunflower.

Above you can see a bee planning a sneak attack from the top left quadrant of the sunflower.

Another bee on bee dive bomb attack in the making.

In this final regular photo, the bees are sharing the sunflower (I love a happy ending). This last photo I adjusted so you could see the two bees (barely) in the bottom left quadrant of the middle part of the sunflower. The first four were untouched.

And, lastly, here's the magic motion picture. Isn't that neat?

I thank God for the many blessings in my life, which include my wonderful husband, the abilities He's blessed me with (walking, seeing, photography and so much more!), beautiful flowers, and your kind support. May God bless you and keep you!

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Bees and Butterflies on Butterfly Bushes

Happy wild Wednesday! Butterfly bushes really do attract butterflies (and bees too).

The butterflies and bees don't seem to be picky about the flower color.

Or whether the flowers are in sun or shade.

But they do seem to have a preference for the newer blooms.

Maybe the nectar is sweeter on the younger flowers? I don't know. But I love seeing the bushes filled with bees and butterflies. There was also a monarch butterfly on the bushes but it was too fast and skittish for me to capture with my camera.

Thank you for visiting! May God bless you and our dwindling bee and butterfly populations!

Related posts:
Cute critters on flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/06/cute-critters-on-flowers.html
Brookside butterflies: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/08/brookside-gardens-wings-of-fancy.html
Butterfly blessings: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/01/happy-new-year-blessings-butterflies.html

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Dogs and Bees at the U.S. National Arboretum

Happy wild Wednesday! Earlier this month I enjoyed a walk in the U.S. National Arboretum and saw these cute bees and dogs. I hope the photos make you smile.

I wanted to pet this cute little dog and ask its human what breed he was but they walked in the other direction before I got the chance (I used my zoom to get the photo).

This bee was parked on top of two pretty, mostly red, bicolor marigolds.

And this adorable dog was keeping watch while her humans slept. I love how she's got one ear up.

These bees were really fun to photograph so I had to include one more image.

That's all for this week's wild Wednesday feature. Which was your favorite photo from today's post? Do you have a favorite dog or bee memory to share? I'd love to hear it! May God bless you!

Related posts:
Cute skirted dog: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/03/cherry-blossom-dog.html
Cute bunnies: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/09/cute-yard-bunny-photos-for-wild.html
Bentley the dog: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/04/pictures-of-bentley-my-new-dog-friend.html