Face Full Of Pollen

Blackberry Blossoms

Blackberry Blossoms

The bees in Shenandoah National Park were busy pollinating blackberry blossoms growing along the Dark Hollow Falls trail when I was last there.

Bumble Bee on Redbud

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.

Wildflower and Native Bee

A patch of wild daisies attracted this small, native bee.

Pollination of the Redbud