Coorongooba Campground

Bee on Blue Heliotrope

The heliotrope flower, also known as Heliotropium Amplexicaule, is a fragrant plant with clusters of small, blue/purple flowers. Bees are often attracted to heliotrope flowers because of their sweet scent and the nectar they produce. Down by the river at Coorongooba Campground in the Wollomi National Park just outside of Lithgow in NSW, there is an abundance of this flower, and Bees who pollinate them.

  • / Sony A7R IV /
  • / Sony 70-200mm G Master II Lens /
  • / Sony 2x Teleconverter Lens

Photographed using

Sony A7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera
Sony A7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera
Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II
Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II
Sony 2x Teleconverter Lens
Sony 2x Teleconverter Lens

Bee on Blue Heliotrope

When a bee lands on a blue heliotrope flower, it uses its proboscis to suck up the nectar from the center of the flower. As the bee feeds on the nectar, it unintentionally picks up pollen on its body from the flower’s stamen. When the bee flies to another flower, it inadvertently transfers some of the pollen it collected from the previous flower onto the new flower’s stigma, thus fertilizing the flower and enabling it to produce seeds.

This process, known as pollination, is crucial for the reproduction of many flowering plants, including the heliotrope. Without pollinators like bees, many plants would not be able to produce seeds and reproduce, leading to a decline in biodiversity and potentially impacting the entire ecosystem.

So, a bee on a blue heliotrope flower not only looks beautiful, but it also plays an essential role in the survival of the plant and the ecosystem it belongs to.

The most amazing part of this photoshoot, was the lens used to shoot it. The Sony 70-200mm G Master II with the Sony 2x Teleconverter attached, designed to pull in subjects from afar, also just happens to be an excellent macro lens combination. The Bee on Blue Heliotrope was literally at my feet, so  I pointed the camera down and was amazed to find the lens focus in on the little Bee so precisely. This lens combination really are the Sony Holy Grail Lenses!

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