Honey bees; walking through the beautiful garden at St. Philip's Church

Walking across the garden at St. Philip's Anglican Church on August 7, 2026, and saw honey bees on the bee balm.

Asters, honey bees, 06 October 2025

It was +28 C and the asters were full of honey bees. Note: the accumulation of yellow substance on the honey bees legs are (what I call) pollen sacks: "Honey bees collect pollen in specialized structures on their hind legs called pollen baskets, or corbiculae. These are concave cavities lined with stiff hairs where the bee packs the collected pollen, mixed with some saliva, to carry it back to the hive. This nutrient-rich pollen is a primary food source for the colony's larvae." 

Honey bees and asters, 04 October 2025

 04 October 2025 at 3 p.m., it’s 25 C.      

    

It’s the last of summery weather before October asserts itself with cold weather; honey bees are visiting the asters, they are in bloom late September and early October. It’s the bees' last chance to collect pollen and nectar and then we all face six month of cold weather. Photographs taken with my IPhone.

Video: Honey bees collecting pollen

Here is a second short video, of honey bees collecting pollen from lavender. Online since 20 October 2025.

Or, cut and paste the following, 

https://youtube.com/shorts/2Dr9y_voM40?si=FVXXH-GxZGSxHfPE

Video: honey bees and asters

This is a short YouTube video I made in October 2025, showing honey bees collecting pollen from asters. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2974r4LolJc

Asters and honey bees, 28 September 2025

When asters bloom in September

honey bees arrive, not seen

most of the summer

the bees collect

         this final nectar 

and pollen, 

it is too much 

for them to ignore

         at summer's end 

Canadian Cottage Garden on 6 August 2025

 This is the best the garden has ever been. 

Honey bees on 2 August 2025

 On the corner of Mayfair and Terrebonne; honey bees love these hydrangeas.