a bumble bee

This is one of the first large bumblebees I have seen in Florida . . . and we have lived here for 4 years! Want to see it even fuzzier? I was working in the garden and I heard this bee before I ever saw it . . . buzzzz, buzzz bzzzz. I spied it among the bougainvillea. It was not moving very fast, so I headed inside to grab my camera. When I came back out I lifted some leaves looking for it and there it was; but it looked like it was sleeping! Then I worried that perhaps it was dying. But it started moving again, not flying -but 'mountain climbing' over the leaves and flowers! Later on it flew a bit, so I think it was okay, maybe just tired.

It was so fuzzy and so very large! Tonight I looked up bumble bees in Florida and learned that they range from Florida as far north as Canada. Bumble bees are less common in southern Florida and perhaps that's why I haven't seen many. I do see a lot of smaller, smoother bees around the heather I planted -in fact, lots of them all at once, but not many large, fuzzy bumblebees like this one. No bees are known to come from the Florida Keys south of us, where my grandmother had a home, interesting!

The whole time I was photographing and looking up information I kept thinking about my blip friend Paladian in Australia who loves bees, especially her native bees. She even has a blue banded one -wow! I really enjoy sharing things across the miles in both directions - blue banded bees, turkey vultures -and the feeling I get to be able to share something new with someone and vice versa. It's very sweet and a lovely way to learn about other people and places.
~ happy holidays to all! ~