Flight of the Carpenter Bee

Carpenter bees are frequent visitors to my garden. They are often seen collecting nectar and pollen only from the flowers of the...

 

 Thunbergia Grandiflora which cascaded freely down.

A cascade of sky blue flowers formed an attractive drape over a fenestra in the concrete fencing thus providing a privacy screen.

A humming and buzzing bumblebee carpenter bees zoomed straight into a Thunbergia Grandiflora

 and stayed for quite a while. As blue flowers are not as common as reds and yellows, they complement the whole gamut of colours in the garden.

When they are done with gathering, they are frequently seen sunbathing on hibiscus flower buds. In the background, Bauhenia kockiana vines hung down, heavily laden with a profusion of yellow-orange blooms. 

Bauhenia kockiana start off as yellow blooms which gradually mellow into a deep orange colour.

 

Carpenter bees are adamant about perching on the same flower bud, even when there are many others to choose from. When I approached with my lens, they'll buzzed off but soon returned to the same bud in spite of my continued presence. 

This bud-hugging activity can go on for the rest of the day. Such behaviour is so persistent and repetitive that it presents a good study on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

 This bumblebee continued to hug its dedicated flower bud possessively for the next few days, always the same bud and no others.

Wings are spread-eagled presumably to derive the full benefits from sun worshipping.

When it flew off momentarily, I playfully placed a flower near its bespoke bud. On discovering this unfamiliar object upon its return, it buzzed over the unsolicited flower, then chided me by buzzing furiously and closely over my head. I felt the strong air currents and feared that it would sting me.

The wings are delicate and look almost black while some shimmering rainbow colours are picked out by the sunshine.
 

Here, this carpenter bee is preparing for flight. Wings are flapped rapidly prior to take off, generating a loud buzz. This is indeed a good life.

“The busy bee has no time for sorrow.” - William Blake

Eventually all good things have to come to and end. Nothing was known about how this bee met its demise.  It was disposed off in an orgy of feasting for days on end by some marauding ants. 

NB: Originally this bee has been identified aas a bumblebee. It has been determined that this guy is actually a carpenter bee