It's that time of year again and a comment about carrying pollen in the insect thread made me decide to post this one.
Our local bees actively collect pollen and carry it in sacs on their legs. This isn't a great bee picture but it does show the sacs well.
The Magnolia blossom is large and has a central core with both stamens and pistils on a common stem. The stamens are at the bottom and look a bit like fuzzy matchsticks. The pistils are sticky and above the stamens.
Here is a bee on approach to the core
Once in there, they may fly around the top for a bit or go directly to work tearing the stamens off the plant.
The shape of the flower in bloom creates nice little packing stations for other bees.
And, just like birds, you get a lot of shots of bee butts.