If you're patient and persistent, nature often reveals small miracles. I've been seeing a number of these "golden" bees that arrive on our flowers—and, of course, on the wildflowers—over the past couple of weeks, but this is the first time I've lucked out in the photography department. I'm pretty sure, after quite a bit of study, that the finger-nail-sized insect belongs to the bee congregation known as the Halictidae, the "sweat bees." These shimmering stunners have a penchant for human perspiration, and, while they're typically solitary and non-aggressive, there's always the possibility that an ill-treated Halictid will deliver a nip that will get the clumsy observer's attention. I suspect this glittering insect belongs to the Sweat Bee genus Agapostemon, based on my trying to match the photos in BugGuide and elsewhere with the specimen in the lens, but it's going to take more study, and more pictures, particularly of the wings and the rest of the body, to be certain. A little mystery, to be sure, is both gold and goad... sooner or later, I'll figure this out.