For days now I have been watching blossoms open on a flowering bush in the hope of seeing flies and bees feasting at them. Unfortunately, the wind during the day has been sufficiently strong that insects found it difficult to land on these flowers—some flew by, but couldn’t land.
The solution to this problem was at my feet, for the wind at the level of the grass is more gentle. This fact wasn’t very useful to the insects when the grass lacked flowers, but now, the appearance of dandelions opens possibilities.
This afternoon, a few species of flies and a lone mining bee were flying low over the grass and taking advantage of the dandelions. Higher up, the flowering bushes remained unattended.
A tachinid fly digs into a dandelion.
Covered in dandelion pollen, a mining bee avoids the wind by crawling through the grass to the next flower.
What enticing pictures! What balm for these still somewhat monochromatic days. It makes me covet their lemony limey quarters. Such a smart sweet bee.
Fly low, cock bright, and stop on a bean pole …
My candle burned alone in an immense valley.
Beams of the huge night converged upon it,
Until the wind blew.
Then beams of the huge night
Converged upon its image,
Until the wind blew.
(from Stevens)