Category Archives: bumblebees
Pricky Pear in bloom
Tennessee’s only native cactus, the prickly pear (Opuntia humifusa) is coming into flower. The flowers stand on top of the fleshy green stems like torches on monuments — an apt comparison in both shape and brilliance of color. The gorgeous … Continue reading
Posted in bumblebees, Plants
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Jewelweed
The last hummingbirds of the season are feeding in the jewelweed patch behind Stirling’s Coffee House. Jewelweed flowers offer nectar to the hummingbirds from a nectar spur at the end of a cone-shaped flower. The hummingbirds have to insert their … Continue reading
Posted in Archosaurs, bumblebees, Insects, Plants
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Goldenrod pollen
Goldenrods (Solidago sp.) are in full bloom, giving insects a welcome bonanza of pollen.
Posted in bumblebees, Garden, Insects, Plants
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Bumblebees crowd into squash flowers
Our Seminole squash vines have dozens of flowers, each of which is stuffed full of bumblebees (or, as Darwin called them, humble bees). The bees cram their heads under the central column (the pistil that gathers pollen from incoming bees), … Continue reading
Posted in bumblebees, Garden
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Bumblebee frenzy
The Lake Cheston spillway is now choked with meadow beauty, increasing tenfold the number of blooms. So many bumblebees are in attendance that the air hums with the sound of their work.
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