Bee with Artichoke Bloom

by Brian Tada

Title

Bee with Artichoke Bloom

Artist

Brian Tada

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photograph

Description

A honeybee flies over an artichoke flower in the backyard on a warm summer afternoon in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The blossom was at the very top of a tall artichoke stem over five feet above the ground, so I carefully stood high up on a ladder to get this unique perspective.

These VIPs - Very Important Pollinators - are truly a marvel to behold and a joy to watch as they go about their daily activities.

It is a reminder of how fragile the ecosystem is when you consider the fact that nearly one-third of the food grown in the U.S. is directly or indirectly pollinated by these beneficial insects. Recently, it is estimated that the number of crops planted worldwide that depend on bee pollination has increased by 300%.

Yet, each year about a third of beehives the U.S. are lost to various causes being investigated, including pesticides, diseases and parasites, flowerless landscapes and large farms growing only one kind of crop (lack of bio-diversity). Since the 1940s, the number of beehives in the U.S. has declined by one-half.

We can each do our part to reverse this steady decline and help with the recovery of these Very Important Pollinators by using safer, natural alternatives to pesticides, by planting bee-friendly flowering plants, and by encouraging friends and family to do the same.

*****

Giving glory to God this image won the following contest award on Fine Art America::

1st Place, Magnificent Color Contest, sponsored by the Hotel Lobby Artworks Group, 09.27.2017. Thank-you to group administrator Karen Wiles who hosted the contest and to those who voted. God bless you!

*****

Grateful to God and thankful to the group administrators for graciously featuring this image on the home pages of the Fine Art America groups::

* GROOVY BUTTERFLIES, 07.03.16
* ALL NATURAL BEAUTY OF THIS WORLD, 07.04.16
* MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP, 07.05.16
* CHRISTIAN THEME ARTWORK GROUP, 07.05.16
* ANIMAL PHOTOGRAPHS, 07.05.16
* MACRO MARVELS, 07.05.16
* IMAGES THAT EXCITE YOU, 07.05.16
* 10 PLUS, 07.08.16
* BUGS BUGS AND MORE BUGS, 07.08.16
* THE 200 CLUB, 08.13.16
* 500 VIEWS, 1 IMAGE A DAY, 12.13.16
* 500 VIEWS SHARE GROUP, 12.21.16
* MACRO, 03.30.17
* USA PHOTOGRAPHERS ONLY, 09.01.17
* 1000 VIEWS ON 1 IMAGE, 09.03.17
* WISCONSIN FLOWERS AND SCENERY, 06.22.18
* 1,000 VIEWS LIMIT 1 PER DAY, 06.16.20
* ABC GROUP, "B Is For Bugs and For Bees" theme, 08.01.21

Giving glory to God for the following Special Recognitions::

* Special Feature in the Camera Art Group, circa February 2023. Thank you to Pamela Luther, group host, and to Christopher James, nominating artist, for this Special Feature. God bless you both!

* Honorable Mention, Color Contrast photo contest, Go Take A Hike Photography Group, 06.13.20. Thank-you to group and contest host, Larry Kniskern, for this honor. God bless you!

* "Macro Photography" photo of the day on the USA Photographers group home page, 09.01.17. Thank-you to group host Judy Vincent for this honor, and for everyone’s support. God bless you!


*****

Artwork notes::

Embedded in the top right-hand corner is the Hebrew acronym for "B'ezras Hashem" [ב ס " ד] meaning "with God's help". It is a reminder to me as an artist and photographer of my dependence on the Almighty, the Originator of all creativity. This is a similar acknowledgement used by great artists like Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel who signed their work with the Latin phrase, "Soli Deo gloria" which means, "Glory to God alone".

Photo image and description copyright © 2016 Brian Tada. To the glory of God. All rights reserved. Duplication, copying, photographing, making derivative artworks, altering and or distribution is prohibited.

As this is part of my livelihood, your purchase would be appreciated to support my work in fine art nature photography. Thank you very much. God bless you.

Uploaded

July 2nd, 2016

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