Garden Surprises

As I walked the gardens one evening this week, I was quite surprsed to find this amazing bee enjoying our passion vine. Never have I seen a bee that was truly golden! This little creature is not so little as it is the size if not a bit larger than our black carpenter bees which measure in at 1.5". I spent much time watching it and snapping pictures of it and was amazed at how close it would allow me to get. At first, it was a bit shy but soon, it realized I was not going to harm it, and then it allowed me to get my lense within an inch or two of it to snap some shots. We spend so much of our home time walking the gardens, watering plants, and enjoying yet another batch of Morning Doves. It is always quite a surprise however when you run across something new and this was just that. I have spent quite a bit of time trying to find just what type of bee this little one is, and as of yet I cannot find any info on him. So, for now I will just enjoy his beauty.