Butterfly and sunflower

What is called sunflower is actually a group of numerous florets crowded together. The outer florets are the sterile ray florets and can be all shades of yellow from almost white to very dark. The florets inside the circular head are called disc florets. They mature into what are commonly called “sunflower seeds,” but are actually the fruit of the sunflower. The inedible husk is the wall of the fruit and the true seed lies within the kernel.

Bee scratching her head

In a field of artichokes which by now are blossoming and therefore no good any more for culinary purposes, I found this cute bee minding her business. The curious thing is, she kept on scratching her head! Any ideas what might cause bees to do so?

Bee on sweet clover (melilotus)

Sweet Clover (Melilotus officinalis), also known as Melilot, is a legume sometimes grown for forage. Its characteristic sweet odor, intensified by drying, is derived from coumarin. It has been used in herbal medicine. Naturopaths claim that it helps promote lymphatic drainage and reduces fluid retention, particularly in the tissues of the vein wall.
Sweet clover is a major source of nectar for Italian honey bees. You can clearly see that in the photo.

Solitary bees mating

The vast majority of bees are solitary, living out their lives as single bees, provisioning single nest cells, rather than working with many other bees to raise huge numbers of offspring in shared nests and producing quantities of honey which man will collect from them. And they have most interesting mating behaviour.

Tuscan bees like red

A diligent honey bee harvesting on a poppy flower.
In Tuscany even the bees seem to go for red!