Carpenter bee on the butterfly bush

So far I've only occasionally noticed carpenter bees in the garden.

This is the first carpenter bee I've observed on a Butterfly Bush Buddleja.

It is about 1 inch long and appears to be a California Carpenter Bee female Xylocopa californica.

Look at those huge eyes!

The bee spent a long time, maybe five minutes, on this one flower head, carefully collecting nectar from every flower.

The reflection in the bee's compact eyes is very interesting.

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