My lavender is in full bloom with lots of pollinators. This bumblebee and skipper are super cute 🙂
in seeking sweetness
you find each little blossom
lavender lovers
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Bright Bee and Butterfly blessings, Namu Amida Butsu, Namaste
~ Raven
More wind today that made it a bit challenging to get a portrait of my neighbors’ daylilies. I persevered and was able to capture these 🙂
blowing in the wind
these delightful daylilies
bow so gracefully
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Namaste, Namu Amida Butsu, Bright Blessings
~ Raven
My neighbors enjoy river rafting. I enjoy taking photos in their yard. Their Buddha and flowers star in some of my portraits.
They have a vehicle that has petroglyph style decals. I laughed today when I noticed a couple of decals that may be new (or I just noticed) and got a kick out of. One of my photos turned out clear and the other is so so. I have pretty petunias and decided to add pollen shots to my neighbors’ cute statements. They have a cat.
lurking in the yard
o mighty hunter of moths
here kitty kitty
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
I imagine this represents those occasional moments when rafting.
moving with paddles
then river takes you away
heartbeat thundering
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Bright Petunia Pollen Blessings, Namaste, Namu Amida Butsu
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!
~ Raven
I heard a neat interview today about beetles found in the La Brea tar-pits that still survive today called La Brea Beetles Revisited. Check it out here. Our friends today are the cool customer I used to call a teddy bear fly that I found out is a type of bee fly, the bishop’s weed blossom that it was hanging out in, and a white clover blossom that turned out to be a wowza portrait. Enjoy 🙂
sit snowy blossoms
while I land upon your leaves
I am a bee fly
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
insects sip from me
I help to fix the soil
I am a clover
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Bright Bee Fly Blessings, Namaste, Namu Amida Butsu
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!
~ Raven
This morning was beautiful. It got hot, though not bad, later in the afternoon. I was able to get the little native bee that protects the milkweed. These are a megachiles (leafcutting) type of bee and chase other insects away as well as grapple with honeybees to try and drive them off of their beloved milkweed. The skipper is a different type than yesterday’s.
hi, little skipper
do you love scabiosa,
the purple flower?
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Bright Bee and Butterfly Blessings, Namaste, Namu Amida Butsu
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!
~ Raven
Today was overcast. I was able to get some photos of my milkweed with a honeybee, a couple of different native bees, and you can even see an ant here and there if you look closely. The stripey bee we saw in the Cranefly and Native Bee 5/31 post. As I mentioned then, this bee loves milkweed and was seen today trying to chase off the dark honeybee seen below. The honeybee was not deterred. The teeny tiny bee was awesome.
every spring I wait
and look forward to milkweed
with visiting friends
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
nectar for many
home to a few exclusives
marvelous milkweed
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Bright Milkweed and Bee Blessings, Namu Amida Butsu, Namaste
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!
~ Raven
My neighbors’ lilac is blooming and the native bees are visiting. This lilac seems to bloom later than others I’ve seen around the neighborhood. The above butt belongs to a carpenter bee and the cute little bottom below belongs to a native bee that I don’t know the name of, though I see them around and have photographed them on milkweed blossoms during other years. Super cute!
busy native bees
sipping on lilac blossoms
bottoms up, pretties
~ Raven Ariana Simons @2017
Bright Bee Blessings, Namu Amida Butsu, Namaste
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!
~ Raven
My neighbors have lovely roses that have done spectacularly this spring because of all the rain we’ve had. I took the above photo on Saturday the 27th, the following photo on Sunday the 28th, and the last on Memorial Day (the 29th). I hope you had a lovely day of remembering. The above bud lived on a bush across the street and the others on my next door neighbors’ bush.
roses remember
gorgeous colours unfolding
grace the neighborhood
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Memorial Day Blessings, Namaste, Namu Amida Butsu
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!
~ Raven
Variable weather allowed me to take these photos of geum aka avens at my neighbors’. I happened to see a bumblebee visiting, too.
little bumblebee
taking a sip from avens
gathering pollen
~ Raven Ariana Simon ©2017
Namaste, Namu Amida Butsu, Bright Bee Blessings
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!~Raven
A pretty day today with the sun out. These are elderberry and rose. They are neighbors. This rose has beautiful rose hips in the fall.
o rambling rose
and pretty elderberry
say “hi” to the bees
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Namaste, Namu Amida Butsu, Namaste
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!
~ Raven
Grace and Mystery 