Nesting with Flowers

Osmia Avosetta. What an extraordinary name. It shines with mystery and beauty. Ani is lucky I hadn't heard the name at the time of her birth, I would have probably fit it in her litany of names somehow. Can you imagine being born into a 'womb' of flower petals? When I started reading about them last month I became so excited at my discovery. Bees are a  part of my project at the Pezic farm in BiH but I had never heard of these before.

environmentalgrafitti

The American Museum of Natural History research site says that they were just recently discovered, strangely enough on the same day by two different researchers in Turkey and Iran. Bees that nest in PETALS. Facinating.

I promptly revised history and told my children that when they were born it was from a womb of beautiful, colored petals.

They nodded and then looked at each other.

'Pretty soon she will be wearing lamp shades with her pearls' they telepathically said to each other.
Darlings that they are however, they allowed me my moment of extravagance and shut up.

Solitary bees that build nests with flower petals.

Female, solitary and extravagantly colorful.

Et voila - as soon as I heard it a path emerged in front of me and I knew I had my New Years' theme.  Specifically with my Muse I've been working on an ongoing photo project in tune with bee moms' channel of love, her magical birthing canals. The results are unusual and stunning.

Because of their nesting habits  National Geographic calls them Flower-Mud Sandwiches. Which is funny but translates into interesting ideas for decoration.
At the jewelry bench then, the SilvanaMondo Osmia™ Collection has it's first marvelous ring in the works in fine Silver and Enamel.

I'm crazy about them.