Found out they're carpenter bees, that's an interesting name, I thought, wonder why they're called that. Yesterday I noticed piles of sawdust at the foot of the fence.
And checked to find a couple of perfectly drilled holes in the fence and my planter boxes. The bees have been much quieter recently.
I checked and found out why. These are nesting sites, now probably completed and only requiring the bee to finish laying low her eggs inside the brood chamber she and possibly one other bee made. Hence the shiny butts, maybe.
If you're working with sawdust the shiny dust repelling butt is suited to your job. Unlike the furry butts of bees needing the fur to carry pollen. At least that's my surmise.
I saw a couple of skirmishes with a third bee a couple of weeks ago, probably competition for the best parts of my fence.
The fence is scheduled to be replaced this year and some factory made material will be used, no wood, so I'm not going to tell on them. Let them coexist while they can.
My other constant companion is this chipmunk, who often sits by, see my toe, to watch me reading, probably taking notes on the daily habits of the common human.
Who will be out there this afternoon continuing with Ulysses, it being Bloomsday tomorrow and time for the annual go at Joyce.
My brain gets tired after an hour or so, very dense and demanding and brilliant writing, so I'm pacing myself. Couple of hours a year, and I'm 85% through according to my Kindle. Easier to hold than the book. Also it opens right where I was last year, a big point.
