Honey Bee - December 2020

It was a rather beautiful day for my photo shoot in dad's garden this week, although it was also mightily cold. I was therefore quite surprised to see some insect activity.

The Mahonia japonica bushes were not only covered in buds and blooms, but also had dozens of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) buzzing around them in search sustenance.

Mahonia - December 2020

There were lots and lots of these flower laden branches emanating from the bushes, and the Honey Bees were going mad for the pollen.

Viburnum Buds - December 2020

The Viburnum bushes had lots of these pink flower bud florets on show, which were adding a nice touch of colour to the hedge along the driveway.

Winter Jasmine Progression - December 2020

At the other side of the driveway was another hedge with Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) growing through it. It was quite nice to see how the flowers were progressing since I shot this branch last week.

Sunshine Soaker - December 2020

The flowers certainly came alive in the afternoon sunshine.

Chicken Run - December 2020

Finally, I came across a most unexpected garden visitor. I have absolutely no idea where this Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) came from, but I got quite a shock when I came across it strutting around the garden!

So this week I went with Honey Bee as my Image of the Week simply because it was a nice surprise to encounter some insect activity on such a cold day so late in the year...