Petal the Bee-Fly and Bloodroot Flower Earrings

On a bloodroot flower in the early spring woodland, something that looks very much like a bee is drinking nectar. Look closer. That is not a bee. That is Petal, and she has been fooling everyone for millions of years. Meet Petal Petal is a dark edged bee fly, which means she is a fly that has spent her entire existence pretending to be a bee, and doing a remarkably convincing job of it. She is covered in the most wonderful dark fuzzy fur, she does not bite, she does not sting, and she spends her days gently drinking nectar from spring wildflowers like bloodroot and pollinating them in the process. She is, by almost every measure, a delight. There is one thing I should tell you about Petal, though. She is a little bit sneaky. Bee flies are parasitic, which means that Petal flings her eggs near the nests of solitary ground nesting bees so that her larvae can hatch and feed on the young bees inside. I know. Take a moment. In a healthy ecosystem this does not harm ground nesting bee populations at all and is simply part of the balanced and complicated web of nature doing what nature does. But it does mean that Petal is perhaps not quite as innocent as she looks sitting there on her bloodroot leaf, all fuzzy and adorable. After seeing a photo of a dark edged bee fly visiting a bloodroot flower I knew immediately that I had to make Petal for you. She is one of my favorite things I have ever created and I think she will be one of yours too. Two Ways to Wear Them These earrings were designed to be as versatile as Petal herself. Wear just the bloodroot flower as a simple and beautiful stud on its own, or slide the scalloped bloodroot leaves and Petal onto the back of each earring post to wear them as full dangles. Two completely different looks from one extraordinary pair. And yes, this is a mismatched pair by design. One earring has Petal sitting right on her leaf and the other does not, because nature is rarely perfectly symmetrical and neither is Petal. The Craftsmanship Every single element of these earrings was made entirely by hand from sterling silver, from scratch. The bloodroot flowers with their tiny beaded up centers, the scalloped leaves pressed from real leaves to capture every vein and edge, and Petal herself with her wonderfully fuzzy textured body, all formed individually from melted silver in my little studio in the New Hampshire woods. There is not another pair like them anywhere on earth. Length: About 2.75 inches as dangles Wear options: Flower studs or full dangle earrings Style: Mismatched pair by design Material: Sterling silver throughout One of a Kind There is only one Petal in the world. When she finds her home she will never be made again exactly like this. A Note from Tamara Do you like when people ask about your favorite insect so you can go on and on about how cool it is? These are probably the earrings for you. I made Petal because I wanted to celebrate a creature that most people have never heard of and would walk right past without a second glance. She looks like a bee, she pollinates like a bee, and she has a secret life that is considerably more complicated than a bee. I find that endlessly fascinating. I hope you do too, and I hope Petal gives you many wonderful opportunities to tell people more than they ever expected to learn about bee flies. Shipping Petal and her bloodroot earrings are finished, tucked into a gift box, and will be on their way to you within 3 to 5 business days.