The bee and the pink rose

Pink roses, they say, are the most delicate of all roses and convey several messages. They speak of grace, elegance and romance. They speak of gratitude and respect. If they are light pink the message may be one of admiration and happiness - or sympathy, sometimes. And if they are a deeper shade of pink they may even say 'thank you'. Well, that's what the experts say.

They also say that the bee belongs to the third largest insect order, which also includes wasps and ants, and that there are about 20,000 species of bee around.

But this bee, seen in our series of pictures taken recently at Cinchona Park in the hills of the Blue Mountain, doesn't care one bit about what the pink rose may be saying to us. She hears something else. 'Nectar!' And so she calls not just on her patience, but on her mathematical skills as well, and sets about collecting her nectar. Patience? And mathematical skills? Yes, patience and mathematical skills! The experts say, too, that the worker bee must visit over 4,000 flowers to make just a tablespoon of honey.

Well, our photographer Ian Allen was not counting the trips made here but he called on his own patience ... and skill, to capture her movements and presenting close-ups of this worker bee. As close as you will ever see.