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For those patient readers who have seen me lament and sympathized for the apparent (at least partial) demise of our bumblebees this spring and summer, this one's for you! They were back today, bigger, busier and better than ever! With impeccable timing, I might add, since I was taking these pictures to do a follow up on a great post and conversation Gail had going on Clay and Limestone the other day. The putative subject here, of course, is Monarda didyma, v. 'Bluestocking' or in Gail's case, 'Marshall's Delight.' To my eye they are virtually identical though there must be some be some slight variation, but hey, I don't buy many plants for their pedigrees (there are some exceptions, of course)! I plant them for their beauty and potential to help feed the garden denizens, especially the bees, butterflies and hummingbirds and whichever Monarda this may be, I care little.
In the first shot, we see a more 'head on approach' to work that this bee has adopted for tackling this angle of the bloom. It might be the same bee in the following shot, or maybe not, but there were so many working the flowers, that I put the camera in continuous shooting mode and fired away. I think I took well over a hundred shots, most of which have a bee in them somewhere, though sometimes hidden. It took us a while to comb through them all to select what we thought were the top four standout shots. And there were a great many other excellent shots as well, (for various reasons), but these rose to the top. I hope you agree ...
Here, our friend is treating us to a prime shot of his backside, but wow, check out those wings! In this and some other shots I got, I could see really clearly to what extent the color of the flower around the bee influences our perception of the color of his wings. I'd love to get a comparable shot against the red Monarda to see what that would be like, but today, our friends the bumblebees were really most interested in the purple, as the red has already been blooming a couple of weeks, and is probably bargain basement scrounging for these guys at this point. This 'Blue Stocking' only started blooming this past week, so is relatively fresh I suppose. But given the number of visitors it gets every day, there must still be a lot of the good stuff there for the butterflies (who were in abundance earlier, but wouldn't sit still for posing), and of course, the bumblebees. The hummingbirds, alas, were not to be seen today, but these shots were taken in very late afternoon sun ....
This shot is mostly about bee butt, because he's buried his head so deeply into the flower, but you have to admit, he does give an attractive view of his backside, eh? Call me weird, but I love getting shots of bees in such 'compromising' positions, and frankly, sometimes that's the only way I can get them successfully! But I guess it's true, if one loves bees, one also has to love bee butts, they're just part of the overall package, hehe. 
And finally, though this might not really be the best of the best, I really like this shot for the lighting and glow it puts off, and though the bee may not be in perfect focus (the wings were really going there!), I think it at least constitutes a true 'impromptu' shot of the bee at work. For me at least, the intense juxtaposition of the red and purple glows made this an attractive shot, despite its faults.
Though today was a superbly perfect early summer day (especially for July!), I didn't manage to get all I wanted to accomplish done, and in fact very little other than household work and laundry (it was a great day to hang out the sheets on the line and I did). Thanks to all the humidity we've had this past week, my arthritic hips and knees just weren't in the mood for a workout, so completing the weeding and planting of the front bed has been delayed yet again for a few days. Fortunately, we're down to the last few plants and as long as they're well watered (they are), they can go in any time soon. I was somewhat disappointed in myself, but there are those days when I know that exceeding my limits will pay no dividends, and today was one of those days. But as you can see, I spent considerable quality time among my plant and insect friends, tending to them, watering and a bit of weeding, but not too much. I also got some wonderful shots of shadows on the house and the pure blue, unfettered sky we had today, and we both enjoyed grilling our dinner outside, because the mosquitoes have given us at least a brief respite! We still plan on spraying for them as soon as Fernymoss gets the yard mowed again ... no chances of rain until at least Friday according to Weather Underground. Who needs local TV for weather? They cop it all from this site and NWS sites anyway ... why wait through commercials for the middleman?
And a special salute to all my French friends, on this, Le quatorze juillet! I think we'll have set off a rocket or two in honor of the French ... After all, they were pretty damned important in sustaining the American Experiment from the start, let's not forget that. Besides, they have over 400 varieties of cheese (mostly delicious) and some of the best wines in the world. I salute them now, as I do every year, with undying affection (yeah, despite the inevitable 'quirks,' lol).
Oh, and happy birthday Aaron!! (You know who you are, if you happen to read this!) You've got a bottle rocket with your name on it coming tonight!
I still can't quite believe it yet, but here we are already at the Fourth of July! Whatever kind of celebration you make of the day, we hope you make the most of it ... I'm hopeful that by this time next year, we'll be celebrating even more as we begin to take back the transgressions that so painfully remind us of what this country has become over the past eight years. President Barack Obama. The prospect itself seemed to me so far away to me the last six months, until the Caucuses back in early January (disclosure: I was in the Edwards camp), when I witnessed personally the mindsets of the various candidates. I think Obama can win. WE just have to make it happen. End of political rant, and on to the flowers!
I'm sure this Bee Balm is very familiar to long term visitors here, but for you who haven't seen it before, this is Monarda didyma, commonly known as Bee Balm. We have very nostalgic feelings for this particular plant because it was one of the very first things we put in the old garden back in the spring of 1999. We bought a couple of gallon pots of it at Target, some $1.00 coneflower plants, and some annuals and planted the (then) small "bed" in front of the porch. But the Bee Balm was what we really wanted in abundance! If you've never grown it, you're missing a prime opportunity to provide a hummingbird, butterfly and bee magnet in your sunny garden.
Bee Balm isn't particularly fussy about where it grows, as long as it has full sun for at least the first or later part of the day (we have it thriving both in the front and the back, as I'll update tomorrow). It prefers a nice, loamy, well drained sunny position, though like most members of the mint family, it will usually settle for what it can get. But if you give them prime real estate, members like Monarda, can really step and perform in the early to mid-summer months. We thin this particular 'colony' frequently and give it to others who want it in their gardens. That's something mints (even your garden variety Coleus share) ... the more you cut them back, the more they branch or spread out, depending on what kind of mint you have. Spearmint can run rampant, as we know (and we were the guilty ones there!), but it generally stays mostly on the ground, whereas Monarda prefers to go upright. Much to many a gardener's delight. Monarda seems to have become quite the popular plant in gardens we see around this area, and it's no wonder why. It asks relatively little, yet rewards one with so much, just at the cusp for what most of us consider the beginning of 'real' summer ... when the reds, and deeper fire colors bloom ... and Bee Balm is just the beginning. I did notice today that some of the Purple Coneflowers are open and starting to bloom.
In some ways it's a timely occurrence for early July, but this year it has been a very capricious (to be kind) season. At this point, we're just rolling with the dice we got this year ... I think it's still shaping up to be a good year for both flowers and veggies ... the corn is not exactly 'Knee High,' but it's over 2 ft now!
In memory though, the Fourth of July should be much hotter ... leading to such activities as making ice cream, eating watermelon, and general grillissimo is charge of the grill. We're opting for marinated pork loin roast on the grill, with fresh sweet corn and more. Then there are the fireworks .. I'll try out that setting on the S700! If anything good comes out of that, you'll see it here.
Just a quick bonus post for tonight to show off some more perspective of the "field" of Bee Balm and Purple coneflowers, just to give you an idea of how they look in the larger garden scheme. The first shot was taken facing south (from the edge of the original bed. In the background of this one, you can see our new Black Elephant Ear in the large pot by the steps ... it's also the home to the 'Blackie' sweet potato vine I featured last week when it was blooming (and it still is).
The second shot faces north, which gives a sense of what lies beyond them in the newer corner bed where you can see the Porcupine Grass and just a glimpse of the yellow Lysimachia to the far left. To the right, you can see our infamous intersection, which floods regularly during heavy rain storms, and often strands fools silly enough to attempt to drive through what is often over a foot or two of water! Some people just never learn ....
Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) is perhaps one of our most popular garden stalwarts, and never fails to attract plenty of attention when it bursts into its full scarlet glory around this time every year. And it's not just the people who go for its brilliant flowers ... it's also a veritable hummingbird magnet, and if you have them in your neighborhood, you can expect many visits from them as long as it remains in bloom. You'll also see bees flocking to it, as well as butterflies, as it seems to constitute a valued food source for them.
One of my earliest posts here on Urban Oasis was devoted to this showy garden veteran, so I'll refer you there for more detailed growing notes. Suffice to say that once established, it's a tough, reliable species that makes itself quite at home in the garden, spreading gradually outward to form a larger stand of plants. Over time you'll want to divide it, not only to keep it confined a bit, but it also appreciates a bit of thinning out periodically to encourage more robust re-growth. We tend to give a fair amount away but have decided that this year, what divisions we make we are going to establish in other spots elsewhere in the garden, because you can never (to our minds) have too much Bee Balm, especially when it blazes into bloom in mid-June. When ours is in full sway, you can often see it from the opposite end of the block, it's that bright!
Notes on these photos courtesy of Fernymoss:
The first shot shows a partial view of the main stand of plants, though only about five or six were in bloom when these were taken on June 16, 2007. Since then quite a bit more have opened up and are spreading the red around the area.
The second close up is perhaps our favorite of this group of photos ... we think the top blooms look like baby birds demanding food ....
And just for a bit of contrast, the third shot shows what the bud looks like before it opens fully ... all tightly packed and ready to unfurl in the summer sun. Also note how the red has bled over into the foliage and veins, something we haven't really noticed in past years ... an interesting variation we'll be watching for in successive blooms.
For those patient readers who have seen me lament and sympathized for the apparent (at least partial) demise of our bumblebees this spring and summer, this one's for you! They were back today, bigger, busier and better than ever! With impeccable timing, I might add, since I was taking these pictures to do a follow up on a great post and conversation Gail had going on Clay and Limestone the other day. The putative subject here, of course, is Monarda didyma, v. 'Bluestocking' or in Gail's case, 'Marshall's Delight.' To my eye they are virtually identical though there must be some be some slight variation, but hey, I don't buy many plants for their pedigrees (there are some exceptions, of course)! I plant them for their beauty and potential to help feed the garden denizens, especially the bees, butterflies and hummingbirds and whichever Monarda this may be, I care little. 
Here, our friend is treating us to a prime shot of his backside, but wow, check out those wings! In this and some other shots I got, I could see really clearly to what extent the color of the flower around the bee influences our perception of the color of his wings. I'd love to get a comparable shot against the red Monarda to see what that would be like, but today, our friends the bumblebees were really most interested in the purple, as the red has already been blooming a couple of weeks, and is probably bargain basement scrounging for these guys at this point. This 'Blue Stocking' only started blooming this past week, so is relatively fresh I suppose. But given the number of visitors it gets every day, there must still be a lot of the good stuff there for the butterflies (who were in abundance earlier, but wouldn't sit still for posing), and of course, the bumblebees. The hummingbirds, alas, were not to be seen today, but these shots were taken in very late afternoon sun ....
This shot is mostly about bee butt, because he's buried his head so deeply into the flower, but you have to admit, he does give an attractive view of his backside, eh? Call me weird, but I love getting shots of bees in such 'compromising' positions, and frankly, sometimes that's the only way I can get them successfully! But I guess it's true, if one loves bees, one also has to love bee butts, they're just part of the overall package, hehe. 
And finally, though this might not really be the best of the best, I really like this shot for the lighting and glow it puts off, and though the bee may not be in perfect focus (the wings were really going there!), I think it at least constitutes a true 'impromptu' shot of the bee at work. For me at least, the intense juxtaposition of the red and purple glows made this an attractive shot, despite its faults. 
