21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Bombus Huntii in flight

The small pink flowers caught my eye, so I decided to get close to snap a picture when I noticed this busy bombus huntii bee, that was not interested in stopping for an in focus picture. I loved the burnt orange band across his T2 and T3, so I figured I'd try for the bee, but I would be complacent with a good picture of the flower. It only took me 3 shots to get the bee and flower just right with the Teton mountains in the background. I couldn't believe I was actually able to capture this shot so well when I saw the image on my phone screen. Out of the hundreds of beautiful pictures I snapped during my visit to Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park this by far is my favorite. Side note: I'm allergic to bees and was careful not to disturb the bombus huntii while it flew from flower to flower collecting its pollen.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2023
Date Uploaded: 11.2023
Photo Location: Jackson, Wyoming, United States of America
Copyright: © LUI BARKKUME