sunshine and blooms for the bees

honey bee on lavender blossom

The lavender hedge looks best at this time of year. With winter rains and cooler weather the hedge always revives. It is full of soft green leaves and new spears of blossoms sprout. This is the first honey bee I observed on the lavender hedge this year.

male carpenter bee

And here is my first sighting of carpenter bees this year. Two carpenter bees were constantly circling the lemon tree and then decided to feast on rosemary flowers. Carpenter bees are very difficult to photograph because they are constantly on the move.

Leaf cutter bee covered in pollen

Leaf cutter bees look very similar to honey bees, but you can tell when looking closer that they have stouter bodies, thicker heads and darker abdomen.