The penstemons are flowering.

They are a favorite.

Hummingbirds love them.

So do solitary bees. In fact, the stalks are abuzz with bees.

The digger bees and sweat bees land, and crawl right into the flower in no time.

This is the usual view of a bee visiting a flower. The nectaries are at the base, so the bees push their heads deep inside and suck up the nectar with their long tongues.

Then the bee is off to the next flower.

If you are interested in helping bees and hummingbirds, penstemons are great plants to grow.