Enormo

I’m sure there’s such a thing as Blog sense, wherein the blogger writes new posts, adhering to something resembling a consistent schedule.  Since nothing in my life is consistent (and no I don’t feel like talking about it right now), please forgive my current lack of a timetable.

Being new at this, I’ve fallen prey to the idea that each story must be replete with pathos, humor, and clever photos.  It’s gotta be perfect, in other words.  Failing perfection, I reluctantly present the result, then take a long rest before I tackle yet another leviathan.

That is way too much like work.  This is supposed to be Fun.  Perhaps I can write the longer, more painstaking tomes during short breaks in my day, polishing them lovingly and at my leisure with no particular self-imposed deadline.

I take photos every day.  I see stuff every day.  There’s no rule that says I can’t be succinct while sharing an occasional tale that some readers might find entertaining.  So, with brevity in mind, I’ll give you a synopsis of my Sunday.

Anybody who’s read this blog, or has seen my Facebook photos is aware that I’m into back yard creatures.  Except spiders.  Can’t summon up the presence of mind to ready my camera and shoot with calm hands.  Besides, I’d still need a telephoto.  A long one.

A couple of weeks ago, I posted some photos of “Grand Master Bee” (Bombus Ternarius).  Today, I was carrying trash to the alley, and spied a bee so colossal that I stopped in my tracks.  He was perched on a flower, and was of a size that I first thought I’d encountered some beast of an insect that didn’t belong anywhere near me.  Grand Master Bee is no longer the largest bee I have ever seen.

Meet Enormo.

Note the difference in proportions between Enormo and that flower he’s using for a runway.

He was kind of jumping from one flower to the next, then lumbering to the center for his pollen fix.  Clicking on the photos will give you a better idea of his vastness.

Unfortunately, I was not able to get shots of other bees doing their gathering from this plant.  They were probably terrified of Enormo.  But I assure you, this guy dwarfs any non-avian critter you’ll ever see hovering over a bloom. 

What is that thing between his shoulder blades? Do bees have shoulder blades?

I went straight to Dave’s Garden to determine what type of character I had discovered.  These people have a near encyclopedic knowledge of the insect world, and they informed me that Enormo is called Bombus griseocollis (aka Brown-Belted Bumblebee).  I’ll refrain from corny analogies to the martial arts.  Really.

These guys are aggressive to other bees, even those of the same species.  No worries.  His bulk alone is enough to ignite my flight response.  I overcame the trepidation for long enough to dash into the house for my trusty long lens.

I never did learn anything about the marking on top of his head.  It’s probably a tattoo identifying him as a bad-ass.

RAM