Days off work are always better than normal days. You wake up and the sun is shinier, or if it's raining, it's not a miserable rain but a comforting 'you stay in bed, you deserve it' kind of rain, your morning coffee is just tastier, you have a spring in your step, and if you're anything like me it's as though a veil of hatred has been lifted 😂 So yeah, today was 'no work Friday' for me 🙌🙌🙌
I ummmed and ahhhhed a little about what to do but decided to head back to the Botanic Garden because I was hoping for some better photos of dragonfly sex than the ones I got yesterday - spoiler alert: I failed (so expect some sub par but interesting all the same photos soonish).
Now if you've been following this page for a while you'll know that I have an intense love for Teddy Bear Bees! Bloody cuties! So when I heard that familiar LOUD buzz around some flowers today I got a tad excited. But things went next level when I saw, for the very first time, a native bee that I have been lusting after, coveting and stalking for months: the Blue-Banded Bee!!! I wish I had recorded the sound that came out of me every time I saw one - an excited little squeak, followed by a bit of a swear
I know the research that BBB only visit purple flowers has been disproven (well according to the Aus Museum) but I've got to say that the ones I watched today, and there were quite a few, and I was there watching for *ahem* quite a while (dream come true - gotta drink in that moment yeah?) only visited purple/blue/pinkish flowers. And same with the teddies - although they seemed quite taken with a species of large purple flowers.
Seriously such a treat! I'm off to buy some blue/purple flowers for some pots for our deck tomorrow. Native bees, come at me bro!
Blue-Banded Bees and Teddy Bear Bees
Wollongong Botanic Garden
#wollongongbotanicgarden #bluebandedbees #teddybearbees #entomology #nativebees #australiannative #welovethegong #backyardzoology
