Life In The Garden
This is how I picked her up, on the end of my stick. … Dead as a door nail. Or a last gasp strategy to survive a watery grave, lying on its back with as much out of water as possible.
And there she goes, against the odds still able to move and signalling life is present still. Amazing little bee …
*Click on the pictures for a proper look … and click again
A nudge this way and that and before long she is back up and about, more or less. Taking to my finger for its warmth and simplicity of form.
Exploring and inspecting her new location now as she holds on tight. Perhaps some residual awareness in her body of a recent near death experience. But it won’t colour her for long.
Still a ways to go before she can take to the wing again. Those wings stuck together by the surface tension of water, I think. Will drain away as she wriggles and wicks.
Where there’s life … There’s potential for change, advancement, progress, or just plain recovery from the past, actual and otherwise. Unburdened by the weight of experience remembered.
“Do I look like a spider to you.” Looking very stable, legs all splayed out and around. Not falling into anything wet again. No need to do again what nearly killed her, bees are so practical.
“Ooh, this is nice.” A place among the flowers. Time and comfort to groom, first the limbs.
Maybe a little food to speed up recovery. I’m sure she senses it. Nectar and pollen just below in those colourful pots.
“Yes, yes, give me more …” Where to from here, who knows. Energised by her vital instinct to revive and away, where else.
Her changing demeanor observed to signify an inner cause. She is getting back to herself, being a no problem bee, ready to set off once more.
And so it was. Before long, before sundown, she was gone from the butterfly bush. Never to be seen again, except maybe as another bee …
I can’t help it, when I am walking around the pool and see something struggling to live I give it a hand.
Then it gives me a hand, providing me some sense of pleasure photographing it as it revives or dies.
Such is life, that sees the struggling of the forms of life without sentimentalising it.
No need for a bee to be anything but …
© Mark Berkery … Click on those pictures for a closer look … and click again.
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Nature's Place 
A heartening sequence. Thank you!
Thanks Sheila.
Nature is like that, every significant story is one of survival against the odds. And not a single complaint from the participants. :-)
Loved the story…made me happy as well! :)
Glad to be of some small service Laura. :-)
I love that she is beeing a ‘no problem’ bee…how we all wish to bee just that…your words show life in a beeautiful way, Mark. Thank you…and mee, I’ll just bee…teehee…
Be a no-problem Dee? :-)
Thanks Dee.
Great macro shots
Thanks Rudi.
Mark, I also rescued insects several times. Once from a spider web a wild bee, very small and also several times from water troughs.
Twice I have been able to set the scene well.
All shot out of the hand?
Yes, all from the hand. They are a bit slow to start, coming from the coldish water. But I still take many shots to get the few I want – and even then, don’t know what I’ve got until I get them on the computer.
Keep up the good work. Nature needs acknowledging …
When I stand by the ivy and photograph the insects there, I also sometimes enlighten passersby a bit.
First they realize that there is life in the ivy at all and then that it is quite diverse, not only bees. Of which, by the way, none are there.
Every little bit counts.
This made me happy. I’m glad she lived. Thank you for saving her, and for sharing your sight and insight into her struggle and recovery.
Thanks Anne. A pleasure …