Previous version of this post had termed this Iris as the invasive “Siberian Iris”, but according to iNat, this is a native Iris species called Savanna Iris (Iris tridentata) . Besides plant life, I like to document the creatures that surround and depend on them, and this hard-working bumble bee deserves its give minutes of fame. I have previously also photographed a bee pollinating the grasspink orchid that you can see here.

As I was driving to the Green swamp preserve in North Carolina, I kept an eye on the roadside; some interesting plants grow by the side of roads inhabiting a disturbed space. Besides, ditches ran around the roads used to direct rainwater. The trenches thus provide a wet ecosystem for semi-aquatic plants to thrive. Driving by one of them, I saw a flash of blue that needed closer inspection. I had initially hoped it would be the native Irises like the ones I had documented earlier but turned out to be similar-looking Siberian Irises. I am glad to now know that I had actually seen a possible pollination event of the Savanna Iris.

Luckily for me, there were plenty of bees working on these flowers in the early cloudy summer morning, perfect for photography, lots of light for fast shutter speeds, but soft enough not to create contrast issues while editing! Enjoy the slideshow of the bee forcing itself inside the Iris!