I was astounded the other day when I noticed that the gaudy yellow and red flowers of a dahlia called 'Pooh' were attracting pollinators. I'm not talk about one or two, I am talking about bees and hoverflies jostling for space on the golden stamens. I'm only sorry that my photographic skills let me down and I didn't manage to get all the clear photographs I would have liked. The insects were quite civilised about getting their share. One bumblebee trod on another bumblebee without hostile reaction while the hoverflies kept to their own, separate, space. I managed to get a photograph with two bees and two hoverflies but there was a point when it all got very crowded, with hoverflies waiting to land, and I just did not know where to aim my macro lens. Anyway, two shots were fairly decent.
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| 'Pooh' dahlia flower with hoverflies and bumblebees |
If 'Pooh' dahlia isn't a magnet for pollinators, I don't know what is.
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| A bumblebee on 'Pooh' dahlia flower - macro photograph |
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A bumblebee on 'Pooh' dahlia flower - macro photograph
See its tongue? |
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A bumblebee on 'Pooh' dahlia flower - macro photograph
See its tongue? |
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