what's that buzzing sound?

Some of these pictures will be fuzzy. Some of them were snapped as I dipped and dove, trying not to alarm any of the creatures dining on the vitex and mountain mint in the yard.
It astounds me looking at the shots, that there aren't more of them in there. The bushes are humming, buzzing, and appear to actually be moving. It is a humbling experience to stand near one of the bushes.
I'm not going to even pretend to know what varieties of bees these are, but do find it incredible that they are so happy to dine together.
There was no bullying that I could see. No crowding, pushing, or butting in line. Just everyone working away, gathering nectar and pollen.
I have taken off my glasses to type this. My vision is pretty bad. Still, looking out at the vitex I can still see the bees and butterflies dancing around. Wow.

I didn't begin to capture the variety of bees out there. There are multicolored wasps, lots and lots of honeybee's and all kinds of bumblies.
Only a small percentage is shown here, but it gets kind of creepy when all you can hear is the buzz and they move all around you... and then a piece of grass falls across your foot...

I think my favorites are the big, slow bumble bees. They amble along like the Teddy Bear of bees. Some of them here have lots of yellow, and some are mostly black. They were most prevalent on the vitex, leaving the mountain mint for the many, many others.

Do you even think this one is real? Look at the color on those wings. That's a fairy in disquise, I think.

This banded one reminds me of a breed of cattle that we often see around here. There is another variety of bees - I think more waspy - with smaller bands, and about three on each bee.

What can I say? Party time on the mountain mint!

And finally, one brave little beauty stayed close to the ground, away from the bustle.

That garden is one wild and crazy place. There were no yellow jackets and no hornets (at least what we called hornets when I was a kid). They are as lovely as the flowers.
I started thinking about this entry last night, and then we had a little storm. Afterward, I went outside to find the bees. They were all hiding under leaves to stay dry. Some of them were bigger than the leaves. That was something I didn't know - where bees go when it rains.