Where have the wildflower gone ...

There have been a few frosty mornings this week and many of the wildflowers have wilted. I found 5 bumblebees (the fifth bee is on the backside on the right) busy gathering nectar from a small goldenrod bloom.

Wildflower - Teasel

The Common Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) is a flowering plant that has a unique shape and structure. An egg-shaped flower head is located on top of a stiff, tall prickly stem that can reach 8 feet tall. This non-native plant from Eurasia and North Africa looks like a thistle, but is in a class by itself, the family class Dipsacaceae (Teasel Family).




A view of the thorny stem and spike covered flower head (with a bumble bee).



A close-up view of a bumble bee collecting nectar from the many small four petal flowers on the flower head.



There were 3 or 4 bees on some of the flower heads working to collect nectar from the flowers as soon as they opened. While the bees and other insects like the flowers for the nectar, many birds feed on the seeds during the winter.

Wildflower - Hedge Bindweed

Hedge Bindweed (Calystegia sepium) is a member of the Morning Glory family (Convolvulaceae). This plant has been classified as a noxious weed because of its quick growth and clinging vines which can overwhelm and pull down cultivated plants.



The trumpet-shaped, 1.5" to 3" diameter flowers, are white or pale pink with white stripes.





The Hedge Bindweed flowers are a favorite of bees and butterflies.

Wildflower - Butterfly Weed

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) is one of the wildflowers that always draws my attention for several reasons when it blooms. Butterfly Weed is a perennial plant with bright orange color that makes it stand out from the green background. We only have a couple "clumps" of Butterfly Weed growing on our property, but we are lucky to have it growing next to our cabin driveway where it can easily be viewed when in bloom.



Butterfly Weed has many common names, such as, Canada Root, Chieger Flower, Chiggerflower, Fluxroot, Indian Paintbrush, Indian Posy, Orange Milkweed, Orange root, Orange Swallow-wort, Pleurisy Root, Silky Swallow-wort, Tuber Root, Yellow Milkweed, White-root, Windroot, Butterfly Love, Butterflyweed, and Butterfly Milkweed. As some of the common names imply, butterflies and bees are attracted to the flowers.

Two bumble bees work on a flower cluster as a third set of bug eyes watch,



Bees of all types are attracted to the flowers.



While it is easy to find the two bees in this photo, there are at least 6 ants on the same flower cluster.

Has Spring Finally Arrived?

We have been tempted with a few spring-like days since the vernal equinox marked the first day of spring last month, but the warm days were soon followed by another visit of the polar vortex. The weather has been warmer in Anchorage, Alaska this spring than here on Joyce Road.

After a long cold spring the daffodils have finally managed to bloom.



The bumblebees are busy taking advantage of the first flowers of spring.

Wild Honeybees

As I've mentioned in my last couple of postings, the end of Summer is approaching as the days get shorter and the local wild honeybees are taking advantage of the fields of goldenrod in the neighborhood.



There has been a lot of news lately about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) that has wiped out an estimated 10 million beehives, but the wild honeybees in our neighborhood are doing quite well.

Earlier this Summer I had a swarm of wild honeybees land in a tree on the driveway to our barn. This swarn started a small colony in the tree which is only 100 feet from my garden.

During the Summer I continued to notice a constant "buzz" in the woods next to our cabin and tracked down a second bee tree in the neighborhood. This is a much larger colony with hundreds of bees coming/going through the one entrance. A view looking up the tree to the entrance. 



A more straight on shot of the small entrance to the hive. I needed a ladder to get this shot and was close enough to smell the honey.



Just a few weeks ago, I was checking some of the pipeline reclamation work through our woods and found this third bee tree. At first I thought this was a small colony  of honeybees due to the few bees at the entrance. Upon later inspection of this bee tree I discovered at least 3 different entrances to the hive, which covered a distance of 15 to 20 feet, with the main entrance at the top, 35 feet off the ground.

A view of wild honeybees at the smaller, lower entrance to the hive.

Honeybee

Along the driveway to our cabin is a large patch of Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) which is in full bloom. I make this one of my daily stops for photos because of the many butterflies and bees that are attracted to the flowers. Click on image to enlarge and see detail of bee and flower.

Spring Wildflowers

The Orange Hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum), also known as Devil's Paintbrush, is in bloom. With so many white and yellow wild flowers in bloom now, it's nice to see a bright red flower.




This wildflower is a member of the family Asteraceae and is native to alpine regions of central and southern Europe. There weren't too many bees around due to the cool weather, but this bee was busy checking out the flower.







The Field Hawkweed (Hieracium caespitosum) is also a member of the family Asteraceae native to Europe.



The bees were also busy with this yellow version of Hawkweed.

Wildflowers and Bees

Today's warm weather not only opened several of the wildflowers but it also brought out many of the bees.

A small bee on Germander Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys)



Honey bees on Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)









A bumblebee on Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)



A bumblebee on Honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica).

Wild Asters

As the Autumn daylight hours grow shorter the number of wildflowers in bloom get smaller. Insects, like these bees, checking out the wild asters (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae).

Bees, Butterflies and Goldenrod

The abundance and diversity of the Spring and Summer flowers has narrowed as we enter Autumn. The many rain showers of September have produced a bumper crop of goldenrod flowers.

Some insects took advantage of the flowering goldenrod during the dry weather between the rain storms. While the number of wild honeybees has dropped off in the past years, they were large numbers of them working on the goldenrod.


While not as common as a honeybee, a blue wing wasp enjoyed the goldenrod.



The Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus), which depends on the milkweed plant during its caterpillar stage, switches to flowers like the goldenrod in its adult (butterfly) stage.



Two honeybees and a bumble bee working on the goldenrod.

Milkweed and Insects

As the days pass from Spring to Summer, different varieties of wildflowers come into bloom. The milkweed is now starting to bloom and the insects are ready



Milkweed is another wildflower that requires a closer look. From a distance the milkweed flower looks like a ball but moving in closer you will see many small flowers.

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)


Most people are familiar with common Milkweed but the orange Butterfly Milkweed (Butterfly Weed) also blooms at the same time.

Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) Butterfly Weed, Pleurisy Root, Orange Milkweed


A closer look at both milkweed flowers shows they both have 5 reflexed corolla lobes.

Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) Butterfly Weed, Pleurisy Root, Orange Milkweed


Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)