Having said in an earlier post that bees and hoverflies, pollinating insects, prefer single flowers to double, where the reproductive organs of the flower are exposed and make pollen and nectar readily available, I have noticed that bees like the bright yellow coreopsis that I grow even before it opens up enough to expose the pollen. Also, the bumblebees seem more smitten with the
Sunray than the
Early Sunrise coreopsis plant. Yesterday I had to laugh at this bumblebee, which I have identified as the Bombus pascuorum (I hope I am right) which didn't seem to be do anything much more than sunbathing. It could be a male. Apparently male bumblebees have a lazier life than females and are not so concerned with pollen gathering and have a tendency to remain in place for longer periods of time, doing a great deal of nothing much. I realise that this sounds like a sexist remark about bumblebees but if the cap fits, etc. This one lolled around on the outside of the coreopsis flower before burying its head and remaining there for a considerable length of time—I'm talking about more than 15 minutes!
.JPG) |
| Bumblebee on Coreopsis 'Sunray' |
Time to snooze perhaps? It may, however, have been accessing the pollen. I did notice that all the while the sting end kept bobbing up and down a little, pulsating a little. Perhaps this is a defence mechanism, while the head is buried, as a warning sign to predators and people taking macro photographs.
.JPG) |
| Bumblebee on Coreopsis 'Sunray' |
I noticed that the pink Phlox Peacock
™ Cherry Red in my garden is attracting the insects although their pollen isn't quite as bountiful as some other flowers.
 |
| Hoverfly on Phlox Peacock™ Cherry Red |
 |
| Phlox Peacock™ Cherry Red still in bud. |