Don't know why those things don't want to face the camera.

Someone else that lives near me informed me about that Varied Carpet Beetle. I figured it was some sort of beetle, but I was surprised what it was, as I had never seen it inside, only outside, and sometimes buried deerp in squash blossoms, when cleaning them to cook. I guess I should consider myself lucky, that I've only seen them as pollinators! And fortunately, they aren't the types of pests that have larvae that feed on our plants.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varied_carpet_beetle

These are not from my garden. I was at a local plant nursery this morning and was able to get these photos.

Bees on trumpet creeper and yellow sage rose flower:
Gulf fritillary and Spicebush swallowtail on lantana and pentas:

The the bees were busy this morning...


T. zebrina
Mystic Spires salvia
Pineapple sage

It always cracks me up to watch the larger bees drill through the base of flowers to get at the nectar.

A shrub rose has a few blooms on it now.

Today at my favorite plant nursery the pollinators were swarming the various salvias.

This Carpenter Bee was swinging back and forth between Kellogg’s Breakfast and Domingo. I will be saving seed from both.

Generally seeing more carpenter bees, on the bean blossoms , cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, etc.

https://rumble.com/v31ij9a-2023-bee-sorghum.html

Anyone know what bee species this is, you can tell better at around 30 sec. I see it attracted to my sorghum and corn. It definitely doesn't look like bumblebee or typical carpenter bee to me, which are more attracted to my catnip. Or is it a different type of carpenter bee?

carpenter bee on catnip:
https://rumble.com/v31in6m-2023-july-ca ... atnip.html

I wonder if it is a mason bee? Some of those bees are all black and they run smaller than carpenter bees or bumblebees.

Maybe some type of Andrena mining bee? https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/fiel ... miner-bees

First sign that orange-banded bee actually nested somewhere in this area: a single little worker bee with a matching suit.
They must be nesting by some other garden in the area, as this is the first of that brood that I've seen.
Our usual common bumblebees are working the field.

Parsley seems to attract a variety of interesting flies as pollinators.
This metallic creature stole the show.

This beautiful peacock butterfly was flying around our yard on Sunday.

This past week the bees and butterflies have been out in force. Sunny weather, not much wind. Quite a few of these Eastern Comma and Red Admirals. Cabbage butterflies too. They're all crazy for oregano, and betony is popular too this time of year.

Really a nice density of bees this year and some different species. I wonder if the community "no mow may" campaign has made the difference. Many people left their lawns unmowed so dandelions could bloom for the bees. This is a big change from times past, when dandelions were considered as 'lawnsbane' and beaten back in every imaginable way.
Anyway they flock here in late summer to feed on the late flowering herbs: oregano, betony are the faves after mother-of-thyme.
This bee with the black abs is a newcomer to me.
And the one with many gold stripes is not too common here either.

Now here's something you don't see very often. I was at a plant nursery yesterday and saw bees on the bok choy that were flowering.

@SpookyShoe bumblebees love brassica flowers like nothing else. And no wonder... smell the sweetest!
Whatever bolts after winter greens, they go out by the back door for the early bees.

I was at Houston Garden Center this morning and saw bees all over the lemon trees. There was also an unidentified creature on a blue flowering plant. Maybe someone knows what this moth/butterfly is.