Bumblebee (Bombus spp.)

We have a pollinator-friendly yard. Actually, you could say it is pollinator-welcoming. We haven’t ever used pesticides in our yard and, over the 10+ years we have lived here, planted a lot of native flowering plants. We also don’t use weed killers so our lawn is full of dandelions and creeping charlie along with other flowering “weeds”. We keep our lawn mower blade at a height that allows most of those flowering plants an opportunity to bloom. And we have a lot of flowering trees. All in all, our yard is welcoming and supportive of pollinating insects.

Despite all the bees visiting our yard, I have found it is difficult to get good pictures of them. So I was excited when a bumblebee was willing to let me photograph it while it gathered pollen from a flowering tree. Below are some of the photographs.

Bumblebee (Bombus spp.)
A bumblebee (Bombus spp.) gathering pollen from a flowering crab.
Bumblebee (Bombus spp.)
A bumblebee (Bombus spp.) gathering pollen from a flowering crab.
Bumblebee (Bombus spp.)
A bumblebee (Bombus spp.) gathering pollen from a flowering crab.
Bumblebee (Bombus spp.)
A bumblebee (Bombus spp.) gathering pollen from a flowering crab.

Gray Treefrog (Dryophytes versicolor)

Yesterday morning we found a gray treefrog (Dryophytes versicolor) resting on a foot stool on our patio.

Gray treefrog (Dryophytes versicolor)
A gray treefrog (Dryophytes versicolor) resting on patio furniture

Another view of a gray treefrog (Dryophytes versicolor)
Another view of a gray treefrog (Dryophytes versicolor) resting on some patio furniture

It started out the day looking green with dark gray but by late afternoon it had changed color to mottled tan.

Gray treefrog (Dryophytes versicolor)
A gray treefrog (Dryophytes versicolor) resting on patio furniture