The Yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, is common in coastal southern California. The bumble bee featured in the first set of photographs might have been a recently emerged queen based upon her large size and the date. I photographed her on March 25, and again on April 3, 2024. On those dates she visited a… Continue reading Yellow-faced Bumble Bee
Category: Nature
Black-tailed Bumble Bee
Where I live the Black-tailed Bumble Bee is usually the first species I see in January or February, depending on local conditions. On a walk last winter I stopped by a small community park near my house. The date was February 15, 2024. The park has a few native plant cultivars, including three manzanita shrubs.… Continue reading Black-tailed Bumble Bee
Variations of Form
On a day of her choosing, summer exiles her vernal sister.Dispatched from the realm with a sidelong scorch, spring retreats. Eager seeds, too long in slumber, awaken beneath her footsteps. Their coats crack open. Spines of bright chlorophyll unfurl, an Homage of leaflets, tender cairns that mark her journey. As a mountain lion she traverses… Continue reading Variations of Form
Triptych
Panel One: a male Valley Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa sonorina), collects nectar from Narrow Leaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis) blossoms. On the Sunrise Trail in Conejo Open Space, May 27, 2022. Panel Two: a Lorquin’s Admiral (Limenitis lorquini) collects nectar from Black Sage (Salvia mellifera) blossoms. On the Sunrise Trail in Conejo Open Space, May 27, 2022.… Continue reading Triptych