Grant County, south of Ulysses

Every once in awhile….  okay, pretty often I come across critters I can’t identify. This unusual wildflower is one of them. It was found in southwest Kansas against a background of scarlet globemallow.  Can any of you help me out with this?

Road A, just off Highway 56

I was looking for landscapes along the Morris County border this evening, scouting back roads and watching the rapidly changing light model the hills. Things weren’t coming together yet, so I scanned wild things along the roadside.

On the back roads I keep my eye open for wildflowers, critters and natural grasses, gradually building up my library of images. A common visitor to the wildflowers, tiny metallic green “sweat bees” (Halictidae) are a personal favorite. The colors are gorgeous. But they are very tiny and move quickly, which makes’em a bugger to photograph. The bees in these photos are about a 1/4 inch in length. I watched them climb deep into the flowers for pollen and nectar, roll around a bit, then peek a head out before streaking toward another blossom. Maybe it was the pollen dust, but these little guys sparkled. It was like a wild candy apple paint job on a hot rod.

More Info on the wildflower: Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

For further study: How Bees Work

Are bees colonies in trouble?

• Report to Congress on Colony Collapse Disorder
• Wikipedia Article