I choose plants for my yard based on the photographic potential of the flowers they produce. Blossoms that glow brilliantly in the midday sunshine are my favorite. Fortunately, pollinators such as bees tend to be partial to my selections, giving me a good opportunity to photograph them as well.

Featured in the header photo is the “My Love” cactus dahlia. This was one of the early bloomers in the Berry Chiffon Dahlia collection of bulbs I purchased from American Meadows. The trickiest part of growing dahlias is keeping the rabbits from eating them during the early stages of growth. Fortunately, if you plant enough bulbs, only a few need to act as sacrificial plants. Unfortunately, all of one type of dahlia seemed to have met that fate this year.

The Casa Blanca lily is an early summer flower that is enjoyed by bees and readily stained by its orange pollen during rain showers. It’s important to take pictures when you see the freshly opened blossoms before the rain suddenly hits. Otherwise, you’ll be left with dingy looking photographs.

This hydrangea tree, if that is in fact what it is, is a favorite of all types of pollinators, especially hornets. I did not, however, take any pictures of the hornets. I focused on the ever-so-adorable bees.

And, last but not least, the blossoms of the sweet peppercorn bush. The bush that I think is absolutely dead every-single spring. It’s another favorite of pollinators, especially giant black wasps (not shown). Featured in this photo is an ailanthus webworm moth, which I honestly thought was a beetle until writing up this post. I’m not sure I’ve seen one flying around. Regardless, the orange and white of the moth matches the blossom perfectly.

For more pictures of dahlias, try this post: Angles Matter.

For more pictures of brilliant white flowers, try this post: Gladiolus and the Bee