The natural world is abuzz with beauty as flowers begin blooming
and bees begin …
well, buzzing.
You know the sound, right?
It stirs thoughts of lush gardens on warm summer afternoons …
But did you know that some bees’ vivacious vibrations are more than simply the beating of wings as they move from flower to flower?
Yup. When it comes to the big, beautiful bumble bee, “buzz” is the sound of pollination in progress.
This is yet another little bit of magic that happens right under our noses, and the Smithsonian Channel managed to capture some fabulous bee’s-eye footage of the bumble at work:
Love, love love bumblebees. Be sure to read the essay on them in Sharon Lovejoy’s wonderful book of nature essays ” A blessing of Toads” . She calls this essay ” the Bumblebee Rumba”.
She begins the essay with this little poem:
“Once there was a bumblebee
who slept ’til spring has come
When winter broke
She then awoke
and her wings began to hum” – Edith Patch 1926
I really enjoyed the slow motion and up close video of the bumble bee. It was nice to see how they do their work and have a better understanding of why they buzz. I love bumble bees and the wonderful work they do for the world. Very interesting.
This was the coolest video!! I love to watch the big bumblebees . In Spring, our blooming azaleas are alive with the humming of dozens of bumblebees every day. It is a beautiful sight!!
Wouldn’t this have been a great way to learn in school? I would not have forgotten this lesson!