A bee dives into an East Indian lotus flower at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Washington, DC
© Linda Davidson/The Washington Post via Getty Image
Happy Bee Day to you
If flowers are the starring cast of nature's big spring show, then bees are the crew. Honeybees are always buzzing in the background, pollinating not only our photogenic petaled friends, but also food crops that make up a third of humans' diet. But when seen in front of the camera, they're hardly bee-listers: Today's pollen-coated photo subject was certainly ready for her close-up.
Maybe she's striking a pose on the pink carpet for World Bee Day. The annual event is held each May 20 to celebrate bees' crucial environmental role and raise awareness of the threats they face, especially as the world bee population has declined in recent decades. By carrying pollen, our bee friend is helping fertilise this East Indian lotus and the many other flowering plants here at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens. This sprawling preserve protects 700 acres of tidal marshland in the far eastern corner of Washington, DC.
Xic Xelvona village in South Goa, India
An indigo bunting on a sunflower
Black-mandibled toucan in the rainforest canopy of La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica
Varandha Ghat in Maharashtra, India
Robin's nest with a brown-headed cowbird egg
Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, India
The Infinite Bridge, designed by Danish architects Niels Povlsgaard and Johan Gjødes, in Aarhus, Denmark
Fallen rhododendron petals line a trail on Grassy Ridge Bald, Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina
