Yesterday afternoon I went out to collect some maracuyá fruit. We have written before about the maracuyá vines that we planted along the fence line. We have also posted pictures of the beautiful maracuyá flowers. These flowers fascinate us, so whenever we walk near the plants we look to see if any flowers are in bloom. Yesterday there were several flowers all along the vines.
As I passed one flower I noticed a large black bee resting on the top of the flower. He did not seem to be in a hurry, so I hustled back into the house to get my camera. When I got back out I was pleasantly surprised to see the huge bee still in place on the flower.
I bent the flower over to get a better picture and the bee still did not fly away.
It seems that he was so overladen with pollen and nectar that he just could not lift off from the flower. You can almost hear him asking me, “Who are you looking at?”
When I am in close next to insects and animals trying to get pictures, I generally softly chant, “I won’t hurt you.” to calm them down. This bee was not convinced and tried to fly off, but the weight of his pollen load caused him to fall onto the vine and leaves. As he climbed back up, I got a picture showing the full load on his back and legs.
He eventually flew away to safety to bring his precious load of nectar home to the hive. But, no sooner was he gone, than others swooped in to gather more nectar and pollenate more of our maracuyá flowers.
The bees continued their work as I gathered up several ripe maracuyá to share with our landlord.
Here is a brief video clip of a bee visiting one of the flowers.
Life is (buzzing) good in Ecuador!
Beautiful post! Your photography is lovely!
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Thank you so much! We are blessed to live in a place surrounded by beauty all year long. We are glad you liked the photos
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Well done, great photos!
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Thanks, Dave. As you know, the camera really does all of the work. I generally do not know how good the pictures are until I get inside and blow them up on the computer. But, it is fun and keeps me out of trouble. See you tonight.
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Cameras sure are getting good these days. Some great bee shots there, John. Those flowers are amazing little things too. Boy, all matter of stuff to observe down yonder, where summer never ends. I especially like the quick video snap shot, if anything but for the sounds of the birds in the back ground, and the bee buzzing off. I haven’t heard those sounds in a while, and it felt good upon the soul, I cannot deny. Thanks for sharing your slice of paradise to us frozen cohorts way up north. 4 more months!!!
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My friend, I am glad you liked the brief glimpse of summertime. Remember that absolutely nothing beats the exhilarating thrill of a Minnesota Spring bursting onto the scene. Watching that each year I lived there, always brought a renewed enthusiasm for life. Stay warm, stay warm!
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Holy cow, went through my mind looking at the photos. Great shots of the pollen laden bee!
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You should have seen the big guy trying to take off. And those maracuya flowers are so beautiful!
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