Pollinator pics of the day - bees

My favorite photos of bees this year - bees in Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb' and Alstroemeria:

Now I'm headed out to do some deadheading. I'll cut some flowers to bring inside. I'm looking at some lovely peach dahlias that will make a nice bouquet.

It's a nice time for gardening. Most of the tasks are easy - wandering around deadheading and picking the occasional weed and watering containers. I always say I'm going to plant fewer containers but end up with dozens. At least we have most of them set up with drip irrigation this year.

I continue my ongoing battle with crabgrass, which I am hand-pulling in my little lawn (maybe 800 square feet).

More pollinators: hummingbird and bees

A couple more photos taken today.

Bee in delphinium

 Bee in penstemon (under a banana leaf)

 Hummingbird feasting on hot-lips salvia (a current favorite)

 Hummingbird waiting for a mate on the scarlett runner bean vine

Butterflies! Western Tiger Swallowtail and Mourning Cloak

I got my first pictures of these butterflies in my yard today. I'd seen them before but didn't have my camera. Here are a few of the photos I just took.

The mourning cloak is "puddling" - getting minerals from the mud next to the stream.