Bees | Tony's Takes Photography

Swallowtail butterfly dines on milkweed nectar

July 20, 2023 by Tony

One of the cool things about my wife’s backyard flower garden is that it provides for some cool, easy photo opportunities. Such was the case this past weekend with this gorgeous butterfly.

I was outside doing yardwork when I saw it arrive and take interest in the blooming milkweed. I quickly grabbed my camera, mounted my macro lens, and grabbed a whole bunch of cool captures of it. Notice on the wide shot the butterfly is sharing the bloom with a bee and in the closer ones you can see the pollen the butterfly will carry off to pollinate other plants.

A swallowtail butterfly and a bee share a milkweed bloom. (© Tony's Takes) — A swallowtail butterfly and a bee share a milkweed bloom. (© Tony’s Takes)

A swallowtail butterfly gets nectar from milkweed. (© Tony's Takes) — A swallowtail butterfly gets nectar from milkweed. (© Tony’s Takes)

Busy backyard bee

June 27, 2023 by Tony

Another image from a recent backyard photoshoot as I trained my camera on the flowers and insects right outside my back door. Certainly much has been written about the dangerous decline in the bee population and other pollinators in general so it makes me happy to provide this nice safe haven for them. Plus, it has the added benefit of making for an easy photo op for me.

Big, busy bumblebee in the backyard flower garden

June 17, 2023 by Tony

With all the rain we have been having here along the Colorado Front Range, everything is growing like gangbusters, including the flowers in my wife’s National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat garden.

Thursday afternoon I mounted up my macro lens and headed back there to get some captures of the blooms and bugs. This big guy was hard at work and commanded most of my attention as he really was cool looking. I loved this shot which shows all the pollen that stuck to him during his stops.

Busy bee doing what bees do

June 16, 2022 by Tony Leave a Comment

Last week I spent some time in my wife’s flower garden, mainly taking macro pics of the beautiful blooms. This gorgeous bee was taking advantage of the bounty, hopping in and out of the flowers. It was a bit interesting to watch as to get to the good stuff, the bee and to climb all the way into the flower. When it emerged, it would stop, clean itself, then move on to the next one and repeat the process.

Backyard photo session with butterflies, bees, wasps and a hummingbird

August 9, 2021 by Tony Leave a Comment

I have bragged before about the beautiful job my wife did over a period of three years turning much of our backyard into an oasis for us as well as birds and insects.

After being out of town for much of a week, I desperately needed to catch up on yardwork yesterday so I skipped my usual photo excursion. After much of the work was done though, I broke out the camera and spent some time in the yard photographing some of the cool visitors.

Among them, a cabbage white butterfly, a young broad-tailed hummingbird, a European paper wasp and an orange-belted bumblebee. It was late morning by the time I took these and the light was kind of harsh but fun stuff to see no matter the time of day.

Much of the work was done thanks to Thornton Water Conservation and is a certified National Wildlife Federation Wildlife Habitat.

A European paper wasp works on a flower. (© Tony's Takes) — A European paper wasp works on a flower. (© Tony’s Takes)

A hummingbird gets a drink from a zauschneria. (© Tony's Takes) — A hummingbird gets a drink from a zauschneria. (© Tony’s Takes)

An orange belted bumblebee holds onto a flower. (© Tony's Takes) — An orange belted bumblebee holds onto a flower. (© Tony’s Takes)

Bumblebee gets a close up

August 1, 2020 by Tony Leave a Comment

Well, okay then. Normally I look at these large bees and think they almost look cute. They fly along somewhat lazily and are noticeably fuzzy. Up close with a macro lens though? Kind of terrifying in a way. While they are big as far as bees go, I am thankful they aren’t any larger. Haha.

Sweat bee up close and personal

July 21, 2020 by Tony Leave a Comment

Holy cow! Check out this little green dude. I was out taking pictures in my wife’s flower garden, mainly focusing on “normal” bees. This one landed on a flower next to where I was shooting and its neon green coloring quickly got my attention.

Honestly, I don’t think I have ever noticed them before and to me, it looks more like a wasp or hornet with that big tail.

Anyway, doing some research I learned it is a “metallic green sweat bee”, common in the Western Hemisphere. They build their nests in the ground and are an important pollinator. They get their name because they are sometimes drawn to sweat but they present no more of a threat than most bees.

Busy bee on a blanket flower

June 7, 2020 by Tony Leave a Comment

What to do when you are bored? Head out to your wife’s beautiful flower gardens and see what you can find.

One of the reasons I bought a macro lens was just for occasions like this – photo ops right in my own backyard. I have a lot to learn but am getting better each time I break out the lens.

This little guy was doing what #bees do, pollinating this flower and then moving on to the next.

I do have to give a shoutout to the City of Thornton and their Thornton Water Conservation. Their “H2Overhaul” program provided the incentive for us to do a ton of work on the yard and install these gardens.

Big flower, little bee

August 16, 2018 by Tony Leave a Comment

The sunflowers are in bloom on the Colorado plains and I of course had to head out and check them out this past Sunday. There didn’t seem to be quite as many fields of them in the usual areas this year and a couple fields looked really anemic. This one though was gorgeous and ablaze in bright yellow beneath our blue skies. A closer look at this one saw a busy pollinator at work. The bee was well-camouflaged with its color scheme closely matching the flower’s.

Bee sticks its nose in it

July 29, 2015 by Tony Leave a Comment

Our lavender bushes are in full bloom right now and the bees have been taking advantage of the nectar available to them. I don’t have a true macro lens so it is hard for me to capture the intricate detail of insects but I thought this image came out pretty well given my limited gear.

A bee samples a flower from a lavender bush in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)