Earlier this week I shared with your about our visit to Happy Hollow Gardens to view the azaleas and showed you some of the many wildflowers that were also blooming.
And I also promised that I would share some pictures of the many butterflies out and about. But they were not the only insects out that day.
There were bumblebees everywhere. In fact, when you walked through the azaleas you could hear them buzzing constantly as they moved from flower to flower. Bumblebees are a favorite to watch as they methodically go from bloom go bloom. These two were working in harmony on this group of blossoms.
These two were something new to me. They are bee flies – I had never heard of them or seen them before. They are fuzzy and move so quickly. I probably took 30 shots and only go this one that turned out okay. They drink nectar with their long probosces. So glad I was patient and took that many shots, this one was worth it.
Another fast mover is the Sphinx Moth. It is also called the Hummingbird Moth because it is often mistaken for a Hummer. They are large for moths which would explain why they are easily mistaken. And, they hover over the flowers just like hummers. We have them in our garden and I love to watch them work.
I have a few videos I took, too. They are not great, but you can see how many bees and butterflies were moving about through the flowers when we visited.
If you just stand still you see all kinds of movement. And the bees can be so loud at times.
I found this little black Tiger Swallowtail hidden in the pink azaleas.
And many of the regular variety.
It was so hard to get a good picture of them.
They would not hold still!
The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is also the State Insect of Virginia.
I did catch one sunning itself on some branches.
They are so beautiful to watch as they work.
I am not sure why some are black and some are yellow.
But the tips of their wings are the same, with the iridescent blue and golden orange spots.
A short video of a black Swallowtail working this red azalea.
They are such great pollinators – just look at that one covered in pollen!
And they stand out among the azaleas. I was happy I was able to catch a few.
Another thing you will see and hear while at Happy Hollow Gardens are the birds. We saw so many but were really thrilled when we saw this large Pileated Woodpecker! We heard him first in the trees and then looked for him where we heard him and finally spotted him. He was also very busy and would not hold still for his photo.
We had a really good time during our visit to the park. It is so hard to believe this hidden gem is just a few miles from our house. We are so thankful to the families that donated this property to our county so that it could be shared with others. It really is a happy hollow on the mountain!
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