Front Yard Sleepover

It's nearly nine o'clock in the evening and do you know where your male bees are? Unlike the females, they don't have their own nests.

Well, some of my guys, and I think that they are members of the long-horned tribe (Melissodes) have tucked themselves in for the night - hanging on tightly by their mandibles (they don't actually have teeth).

In which sweet bower, you might ask? The purple Scabiosa anthemifolia, also beloved of butterflies and my young neighbor, Tessa, who comes over on a regular basis with her very own pink scissors and cuts a bouquet for her mother. Yes, of course she always asks first.

One bloom, one bee, you might think, but this flower (on the left) actually has a second bee, very snuggy, tight and barely visible on the left side.

For crying out loud, if this gets any cuter, I'll have to invite myself over to Tessas' to read Goodnight Moon.