I’ve read many books about birdwatching, one about someone who traveled all over to see certain turtle species, and another about seeking out hummingbirds. This one is in a smiliar vein, but about bees. Specifically, wild bees. One of the facts I learned: there are over twenty thousand bee species on Earth, and only 260 are the familiar bumblees and honeybees. So many more are unknown. At least, to most of us. The author of this delightful book realized one day that she couldn’t name the tree species in her town, and decided to learn more about nature by close observation. She quickly became fascinated with wild bees, taking photos of them, trying to identify them and learning about their behavior. Her delight becomes the reader’s. So much to know! I was vaguely aware of a few solitary bees- mason bees and carpenter bees- but I didn’t know anything about tree bumblebees, or ivy bees, or cuckoo bees (which do exactly what their name suggests). Besides all things about bees in here, this book also has sections that discuss global warming (and its impact on wildlife, of course), problems that humans cause for bees, birds and other wildlife (including a new term for me- anthrophony– which is the collective background noise caused by humans). There’s things about gardening, about living alongside wildlife, about appreciating trees and flowering plants. There’s a bit of travel writing and bird-watching, but mostly it is close to home, with loving scrutiny of the small creatures- especially bees. Home for the author is in the UK, so my only little disappointment with this book is that not all the species mentioned are familiar to me, or ones I will see in my garden. I liked it a lot regardless. Fun tidbit: did you know that if a bumblebee feels you are too close, it will signal its desire for you to back off by raising a leg in the air? That’s just great.
Borrowed from the public library.
Another relatively easy one that I finished in two days. More due to needing rest, than anything else. (I attempted some gardening and had a setback in energy levels again, sigh). I thought I wouldn’t like this one much, but actually it was good puzzle to do. All the different patterns, with just slight variations in the single shape, made it a little brain workout. 
This puzzle was quick. All the bright colors and patterns made for a fun and easy assembly. It was kind of strange to be putting together bright blue sky along the bottom edge of the picture.
Puppies! They’re so cute, of course I couldn’t resist starting with the row of their faces squished together. But disappointingly, the picture is blurry. And after the puppies, it’s a ton of background- so much grass! I really didn’t want to complete all that grass in the bottom half of the puzzle, but found myself okay to just getting into the zone of fitting shapes together. Not sure what this proves- I can get satisfaction out of almost any puzzle, or I was really bored yesterday, or I’m just stubborn about finishing them. Like I used to be with books- determined to finish every one I started. Probably at some point I’ll have done enough puzzles that I will readily toss one back in the box if it’s not pleasing me. But not there yet.
Small puzzle with a big castle! My third completion of the second ten-in-a-box set. Not much to say- buildings are really not my thing. Same quality as the others, with just enough variety in the single piece shape to make it an okay puzzle and not a poor one. I’m not sure which part was more tricky- the trees in the foreground or the atmospherically faded hillside in the background! Both those sections took a little longer than I expected. Done and ready to move on.
