I usually don’t like to get close to bees, but this one was so busy he didn’t realize how close I was with my macro lens.
From the category archives:
Wildflowers
I went down to Nerstrand State Park last week to see what was blooming and found the Marsh Marigolds in full bloom.
In the spring and summer, you can walk down any nature path or hiking trail and find plenty of beautiful Minnesota Wildflowers. This photo is of a Wild Geranium, with a ladybug just nice enough to stay still so I could take a picture. If you want to see more wildflower photos, visit my garden blog at The Minnesota Garden.
The field thistle is starting to bloom in the woods and marsh land behind my house. As annoying as this wildflower is in my lawn, it is one of my favorite wildflowers.
The beautiful purple flower was just begging to have its photo taken the other day. I am not sure what it is as I cannot find it any my wildflower book. If you know, let me know!

Some know the flower as Bee Balm. You might be surprised to learn that the oil from this mint has been used in folk medicine as a tea ingredient to treat respiratory and digestive disorders.