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
It has been a super windy day and I’m excited to report my first sighting of my beloved red milkweed beetle. I’ve been eagerly awaiting my friends.
This bright damselfly made an appearance, too.
pretty dragonfly
holding on to lavender
you ride the breezes
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
it’s early summer
one of my favorite beetles
makes an appearance
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Namaste, Namu Amida Butsu, Bright Blessings,
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!
~ Raven
I am enjoying a full moon. Earlier I visited damselfly, ladybug and wasp, all considered “beneficial insects”.
wasp and ladybug
great hunters in the garden
seeking their dinner
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
awesome damselfly
you are settled and resting
then you’ll be hunting
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
breaking through the clouds
the light of the moon shines bright
illuminating
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Bright Blessings, Namaste, Namu Amida Butsu
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!
~ Raven
Little grasshoppers of different sizes hopped away when I tried to take their portraits.They seemed grateful that I didn’t pursue them. It was early in the morning and the light was dim. I felt grateful to get a couple of photos that weren’t blurred.
sitting on lemon
balm and mint you flee swiftly
grateful grasshopper
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Bright Blessings, Namu Amida Butsu, Namaste
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!
~ Raven
The days are heating up and my neighbors’ peony is almost finished blooming.
with full nodding heads
graceful in the wind and sun
pretty peony
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Bright Blessings, Namu Amida Butsu, Namaste
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 has been sunny and pleasant. Today I have a native bee (with an ant looking on), a milkweed bug, and a skipper. I still await the appearance of my beloved milkweed beetles.
little insect friends
I’m curious about you
where you come and go
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
look who’s visiting
bees, beetles, and butterflies
it’s a sunny day
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Bright Butterfly and Bee 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
The sunny day allowed me to get this big crane fly and a cute native bee. I often see this type of bee on milkweed.
sitting in the sun
a crane fly and native bee
in the sweet clover
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Bright 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
Grace and Mystery 