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Hollyhock and Bee, by Liz Bennefeld

The warm, humid days of July and August, not too hot and not too breezy, are good for taking photos of the honeybees, bumblebees, and dragonflies that visit the side garden along the garage. I have been standing with my camera for fifteen to twenty minutes at a time and taking photos of the insects that land in front of me.

Sometimes, as the bees leave the flowers, they drop away before they start to fly, and some have managed to bump into me or the camera. Startling at first, but I’m getting used to it, now.