Tag Archives: brownbelted bumble bee (Bombus griseocollis)

A few of my favorite things #3

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Flowers and the many faces of those who visit them…

A mason wasp (Monobia quadridens) and a white-faced tachinid fly (Archytas apicifer) sharing the bloom of a wild carrot (a.k.a. bishop's lace or Queen Anne's lace; Daucus carota) (20080422_04440)

a mason wasp (Monobia quadridens) and a white-faced tachinid fly (Archytas apicifer) sharing the bloom of a wild carrot (a.k.a. bishop’s lace or Queen Anne’s lace; Daucus carota)

Brownbelted bumble bees (Bombus griseocollis) foraging on aromatic buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) (20080713_09651)

brownbelted bumble bees (Bombus griseocollis) foraging on aromatic buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

A black and gold bumble bee (Bombus auricomus) weighing down a plains sunflower (a.k.a. petioled sunflower or prairie sunflower; Helianthus petiolaris) (20080727_10335)

a black and gold bumble bee (Bombus auricomus) weighing down a plains sunflower (a.k.a. petioled sunflower or prairie sunflower; Helianthus petiolaris)…

A metallic sweat bee (Augochloropsis metallica) visiting a different bloom on the same plains sunflower (a.k.a. petioled sunflower or prairie sunflower; Helianthus petiolaris) (20080727_10337)

…and right next door, a metallic sweat bee (Augochloropsis metallica) visiting a different bloom on the same plains sunflower (a.k.a. petioled sunflower or prairie sunflower; Helianthus petiolaris)

A female southern carpenter bee (Xylocopa micans) piercing the base of a pink Texas skullcap (Scutellaria suffrutescens) (20080727_10366)

a female southern carpenter bee (Xylocopa micans) piercing the base of an amazingly hardy pink Texas skullcap (Scutellaria suffrutescens)[1][2]

A scoliid wasp (Campsomeris plumipes) enjoying the furry bloom of woolly croton (a.k.a. hogwort or doveweed; Croton capitatus)(20080809_10694)

a scoliid wasp (Campsomeris plumipes) enjoying the furry bloom of woolly croton (a.k.a. hogwort or doveweed; Croton capitatus)

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Notes:

  1. Beautiful bit of adaptation in this case.  The carpenter bee is too large to fit into the flower, and it lacks a tongue long enough to reach from the opening to the base of the bloom.  So these ingenious insects pierce the base of the flower with their mandibles so they can reach through the hole and access the nectar.  Clever!
  2. This herb draws in hummingbirds and insects in large numbers.  It can be entertaining to watch the varied horde compete for the blooms.

Bumbles and buttons

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As alluring as an aphrodisiac, I find myself drawn to this plant each time I walk the eastern shore of White Rock Lake south of Sunset Bay.  Only within a few steps does its presence grab the senses by sight and smell, a visual and olfactory pheromone as sweet to the eyes and nose as honey is to the tongue.

All about its location near the water rests a fog of enticement that can be tasted as easily as it is smelled.  The eyes simply draw one in, rest one from disregard to enjoyment, and all the while scent chains one to a position near what can only be described as a song tempting awareness with bait of beauty and beguilement.

And the bumble bees seem to think likewise.

A brownbelted bumble bee (Bombus griseocollis) hanging on the side of a buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) flower (20080713_09648)

The plant is called a buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis).  Its aroma strikes me as unmistakable and unavoidable.

Two brownbelted bumble bees (Bombus griseocollis) flying toward a group of buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) flowers (20080713_09647)

Brownbelted bumble bees (Bombus griseocollis) surround it during this visit, although previous calls on this place seem to include other species, albeit that assumption is unverified at present.

A brownbelted bumble bee (Bombus griseocollis) landing atop a buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) flower (20080713_09646)

Nevertheless, I always find this plant virtually covered with bumble bees, each flitting about from flower to flower, each busy with the accumulation of pollen.

Having savored this magnificent plant with every sense my body offers, I know why they claim it for their own, savor it in every way, cover it daily with their intent.  Bewitching understates its magic.