Nonplatonic. Halictus scabiosae, Great Banded Furrow Bee, on Stokes' Aster, Stokesia laevis, Parco di Villa Olmo, Como, Italy
If you trudge uphill to the top of Olmo Park you'll find a footbridge that crosses the Cernobbio Road and takes you to a not much-visited section of the park with nice flower beds. From there you can carry on over another bridge that'll take you to Grumello Park. At the top of 'Grumello' you'll find what's called 'Pliny's Garden'. Pliny the Elder is the author of the famous Natural History and the garden is dedicated to his memory.
This little scene played out before my eyes and it reminded me of one of the things Pliny tells us about that ancient well-writing philosopher Plato. When the latter was a baby, bees are said to have settled on his lips to imbue him with sweet eloquence. Our bee, though, is not a honeybee but rather a Banded Furrow Bee. Its forage flower is, I think, Stokes' Aster and not - as it is labeled - a Macedonian Scabious.
Nonplatonic. Halictus scabiosae, Great Banded Furrow Bee, on Stokes' Aster, Stokesia laevis, Parco di Villa Olmo, Como, Italy
If you trudge uphill to the top of Olmo Park you'll find a footbridge that crosses the Cernobbio Road and takes you to a not much-visited section of the park with nice flower beds. From there you can carry on over another bridge that'll take you to Grumello Park. At the top of 'Grumello' you'll find what's called 'Pliny's Garden'. Pliny the Elder is the author of the famous Natural History and the garden is dedicated to his memory.
This little scene played out before my eyes and it reminded me of one of the things Pliny tells us about that ancient well-writing philosopher Plato. When the latter was a baby, bees are said to have settled on his lips to imbue him with sweet eloquence. Our bee, though, is not a honeybee but rather a Banded Furrow Bee. Its forage flower is, I think, Stokes' Aster and not - as it is labeled - a Macedonian Scabious.