Bumble Bee on Redbud

photograph of a bumble bee pollenating a redbud tree

Over the weekend I sat on my roof to get a better view of the bumble bees pollenating our redbud tree.  These trees never cease to amaze me.  They are in full bloom in Richmond and quite beautiful right now.  The bees will be all over them for the next few weeks.  Some of the birds will even eat the flowers.  Then, late in the summer they will start to produce seed pods and become nature’s perfect bird feeder.  Of course the trees benefit immensely from feeding the birds.  We have one full sized tree in our yard and we must get a hundred saplings sprout up every year.

Black Dragonfly on Fig Tree

macro photograph of a black dragonflyAnother dragonfly found in my yard.  They really seem to like using this fig tree as a resting place while they hunt.  Apparently dragonflies are territorial.  As I watched them I noticed they would frequently chase each other off and there would rarely be more than one on the tree at a time.

Dragonfly Profile

macro photograph of a dragonfly profileHere’s another dragonfly photographed in my backyard.  This dragonfly seemed to rest with its wings pointing slightly forward.  Dragonflies prey on mosquitos and anything that reduces the mosquito population is a friend of mine.  Maybe its because we have so many mosquitos in the summer that so many dragonflies stake claim to our yard.