Celebrating the ordinary
Colorful blossoms are my proof that spring has finally arrived in our backyard. During the last few warm sunny days, it’s been great fun to watch the changes. I love the buds as well as the blossoms of these Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica), which seem to be ringing in the new season.
I like bumble bees. Their fuzzy bodies remind me of miniature teddy bear, and they move slowly enough that I can easily watch them. I was thrilled recently to see this large bumble bee visiting one of our daffodil blossoms. I suspected it was a queen, since I’ve learned that only fertilized queen bumble bees hibernate and survive the winter. They are the first to appear in spring as they prepare to establish a new colony.
I planted this bed of crocuses thirty years ago, and they’ve announced spring’s arrival every year since. They are surrounded by golden ragwort, which provides a ground cover around the base of our large pin oak tree.
The response to last week’s blog post prompted me to send the photographs to BugGuide for identification. I now know the pollinator was a sweat bee, specifically Halictidae lasioglossum. I’ve learned there are many species of sweat bees. Many are dark black or brown, but some are quite colorful. I saw this one (Halictidae agapostemon) in our backyard a few years ago.
I’ve also seen this one (Augochloropsis metallica). It reminds me of a jewel – maybe a flying emerald?
I was surprised and quite pleased recently to find the first blooms of the year. There were a few small crocus flowers in our backyard, and this yellow one especially caught my eye.
