Memorial Day

Beverly National Cemetery in Beverly, New Jersey. Click to enlarge.

Soldier rest! thy warfare o'er,
Dream of fighting fields no more;
Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking,
Morn of toil, nor night of waking. 

from Soldier, Rest! Thy Warfare o'er
by Sir Walter Scott

Dragon's Mouth Orchid

In honor of tonight's Game of Thrones finale, I give you the dragon's mouth orchid, Arethusa bulbosa. I found this one growing on the edge of a pine barrens bog a few days ago. GOT is ending but South Jersey's wild orchid season has just begun. Click to enlarge.

Happy Mother's Day!

 A crowded nest of great egrets, Ardea alba.

The kids are acting up. 

Click to enlarge. 

My Favorite Bee

The Golden Northern Bumble Bee, Bombus fervidus. Ta Da!

Big and fuzzy with a lot of yellow -- the teddy bear of bees.

It is also called the Yellow Bumble Bee. I look for them all summer long, but rarely see them, even though I live within their range across the northern states of the U.S. The USDA Forest Service and Pollinator Partnership publication Bumble Bees of the Eastern United States (click on the title to see it) says Bombus fervidus is uncommon, so maybe it's not just me. That's one fine looking bumble bee. Click to enlarge.