I love to walk through the natural areas of my property in
the spring to see what is sprouting (and to find non-native weeds that need
pulling). It is naturally a slow walk as I focus on the ground. As I walked
through one area this past week, I heard a low buzzing and spotted a large bee
checking out the sloped sides of a drainage ditch, slowly going from one area to another. It was as large as a
carpenter bee but it had a fuzzy butt instead of the ‘shiny hiney’ of a
carpenter bee.
The bee was checking out crevices and leaf litter. I realized that it must be a queen bumble bee, looking for a cavity to start her new nest. I've never seen a queen before and was a little bit in awe. It is amazing to find new things in nature. She is #amomentinnature for my April.
I hope she found a good spot. A few days later, I saw another one near the creek. Bumble bees are an important part of pollination, especially during the summer, and I am happy to share my home with them.
No comments:
Post a Comment