It's like going to the circus.
A bee circus.
When you see honey bees gather pollen from a gaura (Gaura linheimeri), it's as if they ran off and joined the circus. You'll see hire-wire (er...high-stem) acts, somersaults, pirouettes, cartwheels and cliffhangers.
They teeter on the edge of a petal and then petal-push to the other side. They buzz upside down and then right themselves. They're under the Big Top and then varoom, they've over it.
The gaura, a leggy perennial, is a native of North America and a member of the Onagraceae family. Its butterflylike flowers, pink and white, are drop-dead gorgeous.
The gaura is also known as "the wand flower," "the butterfly bush" and "the bee blossom."
Attached Images:
A pollen-packin' honey bee heads toward a gaura (Gaura linheimeri). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The honey bee gives her stamp of approval to the gaura, a perennial also known as "the bee blossom." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The honey bee seems to relish being under The Big Top. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The honey bee performs a balancing act on the gaura. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The honey bee gathers pollen from a gaura. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The honey bee dangles from a gaura. And, no net below! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)