Loutet Farm and Jerry's Garden in North Vancouver

My friend Jasna and I visited Loutet farm and Jerry's garden to do some bee watching and we saw some lovelies, including this male bumblebee--the lightest greyest bumblebee I have ever seen. I think he's a newborn bee.

He was very interested in the cosmos.

 Later we spotted a beautiful large queen which may be his mother. She was very blonde, very calm and methodical, sipping each floret in this sunflower. I think she's a Bombus flavifrons dimidiatis.

I was happy to see some of the tiny bees in the anise hyssop, which gives me even more reason to recommend it as a great bee plant.

 The cilantro blossoms were covered in little bees.

 The goldenrod hosted the most variety of insects.

I have a lot of time for Sneezeweed.

This is more like the B. flavifrons I'm used to seeing, more specifically B. flavifrons flavrifrons. (Try saying that ten times in a row.)

Perovskia on Holiday

Whenever I go to the Okanagan for the summer I am enchanted by the patches of perovskia that provide important forage for bees in this hot, dry period. Look at the way the plant glows in the bright sun at the Quail's Gate Winery. This is a good plant for those who go on holiday in July because it will thrive in a xeriscape garden. I can see this interplanted with teasel, echinops and sea holly.

A big thanks to those friends who watered my garden while I was on holiday!!!!!!!