All The Buzz at Xericopia

The carpenter bees seem to have discovered their bounty for the season. There are at least five or more every morning when I go out into the garden.
But I discovered something just as amazing, if not better - gold! A golden carpenter bee. WOW! I think it's a female, but that's just my plant-brained guess. (any novice entomologist out there know specifically what kind of bee it is?)

Eureka!

It's winter in Arizona and the bees are here at Xericopia! Hard to believe at 72* degrees it's winter time. Nature is confused! My trees just dropped their leaves (well, sort of) and it feels like they should start budding and blossoming. Even the basil in my garden is still ripe for plucking.

(bee visiting podranea pink trumpet)

But the most exciting thing going on in my garden is the presence of bees. Actually, 'a' bee. I like to believe that it's a different bee each day. Enjoying the lavender, enjoying the salvia, enjoying the weather - like me!