It was the Blue Banded Bee that got me on my current journey. My husband and I had only been in our new house in 2009 for a month or two when I noticed a solitary bee hanging around the Salvia outside our back door. It had an unusual hum and try as I might, I couldn't get a closer look to see what it was. I spent 3 weeks trying to get photos of it … [Read more...] about Getting More Joy from Your Garden: Blue Banded Bee
blue-banded bee
Blue banded bees in our garden
The blue banded bee is a solitary bee and native to Australia. The bee has a furry golden thorax and striking blue or white stripes on a black abdomen, and they grow to 11-12mm in size. They also have huge eyes and a long tongue. They look really cute in my way of thinking. The blue banded bee is a solitary bee but females may nest together in same … [Read more...] about Blue banded bees in our garden
Seeing the little things
Went out for the purpose of finding small things in the garden late this afternoon. So glad I did. Saw all sorts of insects I hadn't noticed before, some new flowers popping up and also this beautiful Spotted Sedge Skipper Butterfly - quite small and quite beautiful, don't you think? I love seeing butterflies in Summer in our garden and love … [Read more...] about Seeing the little things
The blue banded bees are back!
The blue banded bees are back! Well, one so far, anyway. Just love these bees, they have a different buzz and dart or zig zag around the place. This one I saw yesterday in our vegetable garden, enjoying the comfrey flowers. So thrilled to see them back again! … [Read more...] about The blue banded bees are back!