Observing insects on flowers can while away significant portions of my day but it is a joyous pursuit when in produces an image I can connect with. Recently while on vacation near Lake Tahoe in California I was chasing a bee on some Cornflowers and this is what I saw.
Photo 1: Bee and Cornflowers
Photo 2: Bee on Cornflower
Situational awareness is a useful skill and it requires paying careful attention to your surroundings. Since we were Bond movie fans as kids my brother often used to tell me to “Pay attention 007″ and I even use it on my kids now too.
Photo 1: Bee and Horse Chestnut flowers
In the Bond movies Q (the Quartermaster) famously says to James Bond “Now pay attention 007″. It’s remarkable how scenes and lines from movies spring to mind in various situations. I am usually so involved in my lists that I don’t pay attention to much else happening around me unless I have my camera in hand.
My camera increases my mindfulness since it focuses my attention. When I walk or even drive somewhere I often remember the locations of a particular flower or tree in bloom.Intention gives focus which in turn makes one more mindful.
The busyness of life and our emphasis on the next task does not usually allow this attention to permeate our days.
Photo 2: Butterfly on Thistle
I know that it can be learnt to a certain extent because when I have my camera I scan for interesting details all the time. It’s also interesting though that sometimes when I am shooting a particular bloom I shut out everything else around me. Not always a good thing when you’re taking photographs in the woods so tuning in the other peripheral senses at those times is useful.
The more attention you pay the better your situational awareness will be. It seems as with most other types of learning, the more you practice, the better you become.
On the creek trail not too far from our house I found a rather large thistle in bloom. While I was focussing on the bloom a lovely Painted Lady Butterfly came to feed off it and it was followed by some bees and a little Skipper butterfly as well. Thistles must taste good to bugs and they don’t seem to like sharing a bloom either.
Photo 1: Painted Lady Butterfly on Thistle
Photo 2: Butterfly and Bee on Thistle
Photo 3: Thistle bloom
Photo 4: Thistle bud
Photo 5: Two blooms, two bugs
Photo 6: Bee and Skipper butterfly on Thistle
Photo 7: Bee on Thistle
Photo 8: Butterfly and Thistle bloom
Sometimes when taking flower photos one’s behaviour may seem a bit odd to others. Like when I stopped in a park to chase a bee around a cluster of coneflowers. We all have fun in our own way…
Photo: Bee on a Coneflower
Photo: Bee on another Coneflower
Photo: Bee on a third Coneflower
Photo: Coneflower Cluster
Photo: One more Coneflower with a bee
The brilliant blue colour of the cornflower really is eye-catching even in a field of meadow flowers. According to folklore, cornflowers were worn by young men in love; if the flower faded too quickly, it was taken as a sign that the man’s love was not returned.
Photo: Happy bee on a Cornflower
Photo: Ladybird on a Cornflower
Photo: Cornflowers cluster
Photo: Cornflowers in the meadow
Driving to meet a friend for lunch today when I spotted this apple tree and just had to take some pics of the stunning array of blossoms. This bee kindly decided to land in a suitable spot too.
While getting the kids into the car for a trip to the museum I cam across this lovely sight. An Admiral Butterfly perched on a Butterfly Bush who was shortly joined by a bee. Took it as a good omen for the day ahead.
Taken on a trip to Blackberry Farm while the kids played on the obstacle course.
The bright pink clusters of tubular flowers are striking against the dark green leaves of this summer flowering shrub. A happy place for bees.
These dainty hooded woodland flowers were rather pretty and the bee stopped by in time for a pic