Two Bumbles in a Dahlia

It was a damp, sunny morning at the Arboretum, and bumblebees were napping everywhere. In the dahlias near the solar clock, a very peaceful bumble (the one on the right in this picture) was sleeping in the heart of a huge pink bloom. Its fuzzy golden vest exactly matched the yellow center of the bloom. The bee wasn't stirring yet at all. Clearly, its dreams were sweeter than the angle of the morning light.

And then along came a bigger bumble! And it landed on the very same bloom, almost on TOP of the first bumble. Suddenly the smaller bumbler was awake: "Hey, man, that was pretty rude!" said the first bumble. "Can'tcha see I'm sleeping here?" (And whatever happened to that wise old adage to let sleeping bumbles lie?)

Now what? Time for a rumble among the bumbles? But bumbles are pretty humble, and they are mild-mannered creatures, really. With their most excellent stout fuzzy bodies, some people (such as myself) may think of them as flying teddy bears.

But the light was coming and the summer was growing late, and nobody felt like fighting. Besides, tummies were rumbling; it was time for breakfast. First breakfast for some, second breakfast for others. The littler bee stepped aside for a moment and wiped the sleepy-sand from its eyes, while the bigger bee got a little pollen and moved on to the next bloom.

And so as sweet summer strolled along, calm was restored in the huge pink dahlia with the golden heart; a heart soft enough to please the napping bees, a heart soft enough for peace.

The song to accompany this bumblicious image is a Slim Harpo tune that was covered by just about everybody. I'm including several versions. The song is I'm a King Bee, performed by the Rolling Stones, the Doors (yes, that's Ray singing), and Muddy Waters.

P.S. Bonus possibly related Blip, The Fiery Heart.