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.

Tulip Bloom

close up image of a purple tulip blossom

Of course tulips are at their peak while the flowers are still slightly closed.  This purple tulip, at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, looked pasted its prime but I thought the vibrant colors had a beauty all their own.  While it no longer had that new tulip shape, the open flower revealed a lovely contrast between the yellow pollen and the deep purple and blue flower pedals.

Orchid Show

color photograph of a variety of orchid blooms

These orchids were on display at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, VA.  Inside an arboretum, their delicate, colorful blooms offered a refreshing break from the bleak, cold weather outside when we visited in February.

Gold and Red

photograph of yellow wildflowers with red leaves in the backgroundThese wildflowers already lost most of their pedals before I took this photograph.  I wanted to capture the bright yellow of the flowers against the backdrop of the red vine leaves climbing the tree in the background.