Darkly Purple. Honeybee, Apis mellifera, on Geranium phaeum, Mourning Widow Geranium, ARTIS Amsterdam Zoo, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Phaeum comes from the Greek for dark-complexioned or also mourning. It's easy to understand why this wild Geranium is described specifically by that word.
But visiting the wonderful Zoo for the first time since its lockdown due to Covid-19, I didn't feel like mourning at all. And neither did our Honeybee out for some sweets. You can see that here she's not primarily collecting pollen but rather sticking her proboscis into the nether nectarous region in the heart of Geranium.
Darkly Purple. Honeybee, Apis mellifera, on Geranium phaeum, Mourning Widow Geranium, ARTIS Amsterdam Zoo, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Phaeum comes from the Greek for dark-complexioned or also mourning. It's easy to understand why this wild Geranium is described specifically by that word.
But visiting the wonderful Zoo for the first time since its lockdown due to Covid-19, I didn't feel like mourning at all. And neither did our Honeybee out for some sweets. You can see that here she's not primarily collecting pollen but rather sticking her proboscis into the nether nectarous region in the heart of Geranium.