The Loudest Buzz

The wisteria is in bloom! The flowers drip from the arbor in a display that is both eye catching and nose arresting. The scent is unmistakable and alluring, so I approach for a closer look and a deeper intake of the wonderfully perfumed air.

That's when I hear the sound. The loudest buzz you will ever hear. My shoulders instinctively come up to ears and my head sinks down deep into my clavicle. That's the buzz of dozens of carpenter bees as they zip from one flower to the next.

The buzz isn't just for show. The carpenter bee has powerful thoracic muscles that literally buzz the pollen right out of the flowers. 

Carpenter bees are often mistaken for bumble bees, but one good look at their shiney hiney will let you know that they are carpenters bees.

The eastern carpenter bee moves from flower to flower giving me an opportunity at a few sequential shots.

Most of the other bees are not so considerate, but my camera and I are on a mission. 

I thought this black bee might be a mason bee, but on closer inspection, I'm not so sure. He seems kinda pudgy for a mason bee. He may be a mountain carpenter bee, but who knows. With over 700 species of carpenter bees, it would probably bee-hoove me to do more research. 

Bee good and have a fun spring!