This morning's pollinator

Carpenter Bee visiting the back porch Salvias.  

Salvias are a large group of garden plants that includes annuals, biennials, perennials, and shrubs. The perennial salvias are mainstays of the midsummer garden border. Another common name is sage.   

---------------------  Though often confused with the bumblebee, carpenter bees can be readily identified by their slick, shiny, black abdomen. The thorax of the carpenter bee (directly behind the head) is usually covered with yellow, orange, or white hairs.
Carpenter bees rank among the largest of bees native to the United States. There are numerous species of carpenter bees (Xylocopa) that inhabit a diverse range of habitats from tropical to subtropical to temperate. In the United States, carpenter bees occur across the southern United States from Florida to Arizona and in the eastern United States, north to New York.