Hi everyone! This is the 2023 Bee Friends and Other Garden Guests thread! Can't wait to see all your beautiful pictures, and to learn from you all. Happy you're here!

I'm here 😏

Welcoming 2023! Happy gardening and or wild plant hunting!

There's a ho eybee here somewhere enjoying first sips off a Mahonia

Okay this photo taken the end of November, but just downloaded from camera yesterday...do you see the Bee-hind end???? Might have to enlarge it.

YES Sherri! And what a beautiful photo!

Agree, lovely photo, and the bee-hind is perfectly visible yet subtle. Good work!

I bee it!

Thank you all, I didn't notice until I enlarged it. This one I was trying to capture, it was a breezy day so took lots of shots.
Here's another bee on my Cat Whiskers flower.

Amazing photos here. Most are garden guests, but a few others too. I just thought that, since it's so quiet here, you all might enjoy these.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ph...

joannakat said: Amazing photos here. Most are garden guests, but a few others too. I just thought that, since it's so quiet here, you all might enjoy these.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ph...

Thanks for the sharing the link.

wow Joanna, those were incredible, I eljoyed that so much

sallyg said: wow Joanna, those were incredible, I enjoyed that so much

Right? There are some other links to photo categories at the bottom of the page that have some astonishing photos too.

Most enjoyable photos! I think we had some pics as good in our contest!

The bees love my powderpuff. I found 2 more monarch cocoons, they'll be done cookin in a while.

@joannakat Beautiful photos...thank you for sharing, the winged bird and sun...wow. Not too sure about the Cannibalism photo...

Phil, some great shots, my poor powder puffs keep losing the flowers on these cold fronts, but the bees finding other plants.

One of my friendly squirrels this morning...

sallyg said: There's a honeybee here somewhere enjoying first sips off a Mahonia

found your Honey Bee

Amazing macro photo of a praying mantis
From https://www.facebook.com/photo....

While out photographing my daffodils this week, I came across this "garden guest". I believe it is a Metric Paper Wasp (let me know if you think otherwise, as I really don't know). Wasps can be pollinators while searching out nectar, but they are also predators of other insects and spiders, just like praying mantis is a predator. I don't like wasps when they sting me because I made them mad, and I don't let them build their home on my house, but I try to accept them as part of the diversity of a garden ecosystem.

Wasps are some nasty dudes. I let them live and hope they let me live. Doesn't take much to upset them and that sting really hurts! That is a really nice daffy. Love the combination of that peach/salmon and white.