The Washing …
Not the prettiest face you ever saw, but she is a beauty. Tireless in her service to our amazing nature.
*Click on the pictures for a proper look … and click again
I could see no reason for her to be on the ground, no damage or sign of exhaustion. Some things just are.
It took a while for her to steady herself but once up she was inquisitive of her situation, being handled with care.
Raising her up before she fell, time for a shot or two on the way. Quiet little beauty bee, stingless today.
Up on the washing line I had a few clothes. I put her to sit a while and she took to it easy, no worries on her little mind.
Manipulating the cloth for some background and the shot with some detail, she began her cleaning routine.
Wiping down her tongue here, the eyes and antennae get regular attention. Clean and proud is her way.
Careful not to disturb her, my finger the other side of the cloth, shooting from a few inches.
And in the end we take what nature offers. She’s still in charge, despite our best efforts. Trusting intelligence wins out.
Hanging out the washing I noticed movement at my feet. A closer look revealed a honey bee come to rest on the grass. An unusual place for honey bees.
Maybe she was tired from her early morning foraging, just taking a break. More likely she was knocked from the air, as healthy as she looks to be.
After a while I helper her to the jacket I had just hung up, got a few shots and left her to rest, preen and warm up in the sun.
She seemed content to be alive, doing no more than survive as she served her nature, to gather for the hive.
When I came back she was gone. Life moves on, things change, with a little help.
And there’s always some washing to be done.
All’s well in paradise, well enough.
© Mark Berkery ……. Click on those pictures for a closer look
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Nature's Place 
Lovely face! Beauty is alwasys in the eye of the beholder!
Yes, perceived within first. Then re-cognised ‘outside’.
She’s beautiful :)
The right and left side pollen bags both seem to be the same shape with the “bite” taken out. Might be the way she loads them.
She is … And yes, it might be.
Sometimes I flip a picture horizontally, to change the visual impact in a series. If you look at #4 image you’ll see one pollen basket is full, while in the others it’s got the ‘bite’ mark.
Blessed to see so deeply…. beautiful honey bee 😙
She is … When you dig deep you get covered in muck. Lucky it rains too, and the sun is drying, while the moon keeps everything pulsing. :-)
She may have been collecting minerals or moisture from the ground. Lovely creature.
There’s that, the ground is moist thereabouts for a long time now. Indeed … she’s a beauty.
It also occurred to me she may be drunk from the star jasmine nectar, it covers a length of fence 5 metres long and is flowering right now. Since such intoxication in the animal world is not unknown, given the right circumstances. I’ve seen drunken moths and flies …
And does it look like something’s taken a bite out of her left side pollen basket?