@evermorelawnless
Asa, Congratulations on overall best of show! Can you tell us more about the photo? What is the wildflower? The bee?
Laurie

Kind of a weird one. I post a new bee every day on https://bees.photo and 99.9 percent of the bees are from @dirtdorphins gardens. This one, however, is not.

I was at an art festival in Silverthorne, Colorado in July selling some of my photography (mostly wildlife shots) and needed to feed my nicotine addiction. So I slipped away into a stand of aspens about twenty feet from my booth. While there, I noticed a whole bunch of different native bees on a variety of wildflowers. So I grabbed my camera. In looking at the shots that night, I knew this one was special and printed and matted about 20 copies. They all sold over the next couple of days.

I *think* that the bee is a leafcutter. And I know that the flower is an aster. The blossoms on those wild asters are about half the size of those in our gardens. I've gotten so lucky lately just by having my camera with me. The other day, I went to the hardware store and got there before it opened...to find a female merlin that had just taken down a pigeon that looked nearly twice her size. She let me get within six or so feet of her while she was plucking and picking at the pigeon. Incredible. Anyway, more than you asked.

But the takeaway from this particular shot for me has been that no matter where you are - no matter what you're doing - there's something beautiful there. It's not on nature to create for us. That's just what nature does. It's on us to notice - and value what we notice. And this little one on a beautiful flower is an example of that to me.

Congratulations Asa, really awesome photo, those bee eyes are something else. Should've known this was your photo...LOL. I like the story behind it.