TINY TUESDAY - BOMBUS PASCUORUM ON HELIANTHUS

I had a particularly mucky job to do this morning, so decided to do it before I had my shower!  Job and shower done, I made myself a cup of coffee and went to sit in the garden where it was cool.

I then had a wander around the garden - still in my pink robe, in case anyone is wondering - and took several shots of different flowers and bees that I thought would be good for the TT challenge today.

I went back in for my Panasonic camera and took a few more shots and this was the very last one I took.  I loved the way the sun was lighting up this beautiful Helianthus flower and then just as I was about to take the shot, this little bee flew into it, and the sun lit up its wings, so this had to be my TT shot.

I looked it up in Mr. HCB's British Wildlife book and we both think it is a Common Carder Bee or Bombus Pascuorum, a fluffy, gingery bumble bee - and I'm sure it will be grateful to have its 15 minutes of fame on Blip - it was certainly a very busy bee!

I have just been reading about a farm fire not that far from where we live - this was a machinery fire, probably due to a flint against metal, which in turn sparked and caused a huge fire.  Thankfully the owners and the livestock are all safe, and today they will be assessing the damage and getting in the rest of their harvest, but it just shows how tinder-dry everything is at the moment and how we all need to be extra vigilant and careful.

“The flower doesn’t dream of the bee,
     it just blossoms and the bee comes.”
Mark Nepo