I fell in love with his green eyes and golden hair. He was a little round in the middle but that’s what you would expect for an Xylocopa varipuncta. That is the scientific name for the male valley carpenter bee that is delightfully known as the “teddy Bear Bee”. He appeared in my garden one day in June. I am certain he is male because he is large (about the size of a queen bumble bee), with a golden/buff-colored chubby body with green eyes. The females are black. Xylocopa varipuncta occurs in the Central Valley and Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and southward through Mexico. Although I live in Southern California, I had never seen one before and I was immediately enchanted.
He bobbed around his favorite plants in the garden. It was a Texas Sage bush. He was also punctual, arriving every day around 6pm and staying for about an hour. Once I learned his schedule, I made sure to be in the garden, sitting on my little red bench that was conveniently positioned facing the Texas Sage.
I looked forward to hanging out with my new bee-buddy. He fascinated me. I think it was his color and his round barrel body. He was just plain cuteness. He wasn’t nicknamed the teddy bear bee by legendary entomologist Robbin Thorp for nothing.
I incorporated my time with the teddy bear bee every day. I tried to take photographs and video but he moved constantly. I gave up and just started enjoying his company.
By the time July arrived, I kept missing his visit and wondered if my timing was off. I mentioned my disappointment to my husband who knew about my fascination with Teddy the Bee. I made him sit on the bench for a Teddy encounter. My husband asked me what the lifespan was of a bubble bee and my heart sank. I had no idea, but I knew it wasn’t very long and that it was entirely possible that Teddy had died. I never saw Teddy again.
We have many relationships in this relational world. Some we never notice. I have other relationships in the garden. I interact with a few demanding scrub jays who expect a steady supply of peanuts. A mockingbird scolds me when I go near her territory in the back corner of the yard and I squawk back-a neighborhood squabble. I know a clumsy squirrel that I call Forrest Gump who will take peanuts from my hand but often falls off the wall. He may be a young'un and still finding his way in the world. They are all my teachers. They are "all my relations"
Teddy taught me to stop rushing around my garden doing work and just sit on a bench and be with a bee. I miss him.