Which pollinators have you seen in your garden today?

[Meadowlark]

 

[Meadowlark]

Giant Swallowtail on Rose of Sharon...

 

[Meadowlark]

American Lady on Lantana...

 

[Meadowlark]

A skipper .... possibly the southern skipper. Very common here but also very difficult to photo.

 

[Meadowlark]

Using @JBtheExplorer 's reference chart, I am calling this one the brown‑belted bumblebee, Bombus griseocollis...

 

[Sheal]

I'm enjoying seeing all these pollinators. Apart from various bees I see nothing else, even a butterfly is rare. All to do with the climate here of course.

 

[Meadowlark]

Butterflies are rare there...even with all your beautiful flowers @Sheal ?

 

[Sheal]

Yes, living so far north and lower temperatures mixed with unpredictable weather, I see very few. Just three last year and one of those was a Pieris Rapae 'Cabbage White' which are fairly common.

 

[Meadowlark]

Spotted one of my very favorite butterflies today coming in for a landing and then feeding on a zinnia flower.

"The zebra swallowtail butterfly (Eurytides marcellus) is a striking black‑and‑white swallowtail native to the eastern United States, instantly recognizable by its zebra‑striped wings and long swordlike tails. It is also the state butterfly of Tennessee."

This is one special butterfly captured on the approach and landing...

 

[Meadowlark]

Two distinctly different bees captured today on the same sunflower. I call them both "sweat bees".

Technically, the metallic green bees shown below are the Texas striped sweat bee (Agapostemon texanus) . It is said to be non-aggressive, but I have been stung when swating them trying to get the salt from the sweat on my arms.

The other bee on the side is the Squash bee. It is on the lower right of this sunflower but is right next to squash plants which are their preferred nectar. Squash bees belong to the genus Peponapis, a group of solitary, ground‑nesting bees that evolved alongside squash plants. They are considered highly efficient, more so than honeybees, at pollinating squash. A very welcome garden pollinator.... but not a welcome sight when encountered while mowing a pasture.

 

[Sheal]

I didn't know green bees existed.

 

[Meadowlark]

I didn't know green bees existed.

Yes, they are another example of a natural color that we humans cannot duplicate.

 

[Meadowlark]

Look...It's a bird, It's a plane, it's super swallowtail!

Sometimes I discover these stately visitors by the shadow they cast on the ground when flitting about. The Giant Swallowtail butterfly with its 6-inch wingspan is a welcome pollinator in my gardens.

 

[Meadowlark]

This photo taken today of the Halictus Furrow Sweat Bee and the Western Honeybee (Apis mellifera) together shows the relative size of each. Sweat bees are relatively small.

 

[Meadowlark]

In my area, the number and variety of pollinators tend to increase in spring and peak in June through October.

That increase showed today with the arrival of the first Black Swallowtail butterfly. There are 8 known varieties of Swallowtails that frequent my gardens and each will generally have made an appearance by June and continuing until cool weather. As a group, they are strikingly beautiful, large, and highly welcome to my gardens.

The Black Swallowtail ...on its favorite lantana plant.