What's better than a bee threading through a flowering artichoke? Two bees, a honey bee and a long-horned sunflower bee.

Flowering 'chokes are big draws for bees. Plant 'em, let 'em flower, and they will come. Sometimes in droves. Sometimes in diversity. Always amazing.

A male sunflower bee, Svastra obliqua expurgata, aka the long-horned sunflower bee, stopped foraging to look at us with his big green eyes.

An Italian honey bee, Apis mellifera, buzzing low and packing white pollen, ignored us.

From their missions they did not stray.