After dinner last night, I went outside to check on my flowers and found a bumblebee in my little flower bush. It was the only bee I saw, so the same bee is in each of these photos. The bee was in heaven. These flowers seem to have a lot of pollen and the bee would crawl inside and spend quite a bit of time before it crawled out dusted in pollen. 
However, the bee was far from alone. There was a butterfly that followed the bee from flower …
to flower …
to flower …
The butterfly didn’t seem spooked by the camera at all, and my camera is very close–it’s a 40 mm, fixed lens.
After several minutes, though, I noticed the bee was annoyed by the butterfly’s presence.
I think the main reason was that the butterfly was all up on the bee’s personal space. It would be directly outside of the flower in the exact place where the bee was inside working.
The bee would get irritated and chase the butterfly away.
When the coast was clear, and the bee had its fill, it would crawl out of the flower and clean off its tongue.
The End
Quirk'n It 
Such a cute story 🙂
Thanks! I am going today to plan out my “bee garden.” I know the bees like these flowers, and a few others at the park, plus I have researched online for spring and fall flowers too, so they can feed all season. Next year, I’ll have my own little bee sanctuary. 😀
Nice Pics! I took some photos on my site at Denver Botanical Gardens with them swarming around the flowers it turned out pretty cool 🙂
http://www.glitzgirlzglamourguide.com
Thanks, I like your photo with the cactus and grasses in the water! 🙂
Thanks Jennifer!
I’m terrified of butterflies, but I like the looks of this one. Only in your photos of course. If it came near me in real life, I’d run screaming.
LOL. It was a curious butterfly … the bee wasn’t into it at all. I’ve never heard of a fear of butterflies. That is really interesting.
They terrify me! I am okay with spiders, cockroaches, mice, rats…Everything but butterflies and crickets/grasshoppers. But your butterfly is still a handsome specimen!
Too funny! Grasshoppers and crickets are a little creepy, I agree. I also recall being a child and seeing a tree covered in locusts. Maybe it was just a dream. I don’t know but I’ve never forgotten that image,
I’ve rather disliked crickets since our basement was infested with them when I was a teenager, so I can understand your locust motivation (dream or not)! I have no problem with the concept of locusts, but do concede that they can be disconcerting en masse. My Grandma has never forgotten when, at Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament back in 1987 during a locust infestation when they were several inches deep and falling from trees, several landed in her cleavage. The stuff of nightmares, I guess.
What a nice story! The butterfly must have thought that the nectar of the flower especially tasty, as the bee was so much enjoying in it.
I tried to look up something similar–butterflies who feed off other insects–but found nothing. I’m sure you are correct, though. Somehow, the butterfly was benefiting from the bees work. 😉