View allAll Photos Tagged Pollination
SPRING FLOWERS ARE A WELCOME SIGHT FOR GARDENERS, BUT EVEN MORE SO FOR POLLINATING INSECTS..Bumblebees, solitary bees, butterflies and many other pollinators emerge when the weather warms up, but pollen and nectar can be hard to come by. A huge number of plants rely entirely on bees and other insects for pollination, and yet population numbers are declining.
This pair of black-chinned hummingbirds didn't care for the honey bees but they really liked the red yucca blossoms. (Black headed hummer is the male)
This is a composite of two photos, but realistically depicts the scene. Depth of field is about 1.5 inches so it would be impossible to have both birds in perfect focus simultaneously.
Hello There!
I can't say that I've seen such an orange undercarriage before which makes me wonder if it is a different type of bee, or if it is simply covered with a thick layer of pollen. One thing, it sure was a speedy flier and tough to get an image of. This bee is gathering nectar from a wildflower called "Prairie Clover." In a ditch? Yes!
An ID has come my way, hip hooray and a big thank you to Jerome and Lou!!! It is a Leafcutter Bee, genus Megachile.
Thanks a million for stopping by and your comments! I do love hearing from you. Have a lovely day!
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A female Monarch butterfly on its way to the wintering grounds in Mexico and a honeybee having lunch on a Frostweed inflorescence.
TWU Butterfly Garden, Denton, Texas
Floral pigments have a large role to play in pollination of flowers by animals. This flower's radiating lines led directly to the pollen filled center of the blossom.
I have no clue what kind of bee, wasp or whatever this is. I do know it is on some Aster flowers! :D Thanks to Leigh Ayres for the identification of this bee!! (Leafcutter bee)
TWU Denton campus
Tievine (Tie Vine), Sharp-pod Morning Glory, Purple Bindweed, Ipomoea cordatotriloba var. cordatotriloba (Convolvulaceae) with a bee pollinator. This species of morning glory is native to the southeastern United States, Mexico, and South America.
These lovely roses were taken in our garden this summer 2024.
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of plants that can be erect shrubs, climbing or trailing with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers vary in size and shape and are usually large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows and reds. Most species are native to Asia, with smaller numbers native to Europe, North America, and northwest Africa. Species, cultivars and hybrids are all widely grown for their beauty and often are fragrant. Rose plants range in size from compact, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach 7 meters in height. Different species hybridize easily, and this has been used in the development of the wide range of garden roses.
The name rose comes from French, itself from Latin rosa, which was perhaps borrowed from Oscan, from Greek ρόδον rhódon (Aeolic βρόδον wródon), itself borrowed from Old Persian wrd- (wurdi), related to Avestan varəδa, Sogdian ward, Parthian wâr.
The leaves are borne alternately on the stem. In most species they are 5 to 15 centimetres (2.0 to 5.9 in) long, pinnate, with (3–) 5–9 (–13) leaflets and basal stipules; the leaflets usually have a serrated margin, and often a few small prickles on the underside of the stem. Most roses are deciduous but a few (particularly from South east Asia) are evergreen or nearly so.
The flowers of most species have five petals, with the exception of Rosa sericea, which usually has only four. Each petal is divided into two distinct lobes and is usually white or pink, though in a few species yellow or red. Beneath the petals are five sepals (or in the case of some Rosa sericea, four). These may be long enough to be visible when viewed from above and appear as green points alternating with the rounded petals. There are multiple superior ovaries that develop into achenes. Roses are insect-pollinated in nature.
The aggregate fruit of the rose is a berry-like structure called a rose hip. Many of the domestic cultivars do not produce hips, as the flowers are so tightly petalled that they do not provide access for pollination. The hips of most species are red, but a few (e.g. Rosa pimpinellifolia) have dark purple to black hips. Each hip comprises an outer fleshy layer, the hypanthium, which contains 5–160 "seeds" (technically dry single-seeded fruits called achenes) embedded in a matrix of fine, but stiff, hairs. Rose hips of some species, especially the Dog Rose (Rosa canina) and Rugosa Rose (Rosa rugosa), are very rich in vitamin C, among the richest sources of any plant. The hips are eaten by fruit-eating birds such as thrushes and waxwings, which then disperse the seeds in their droppings. Some birds, particularly finches, also eat the seeds.
Rose thorns are actually prickles - outgrowths of the epidermis. While the sharp objects along a rose stem are commonly called "thorns", they are technically prickles — outgrowths of the epidermis (the outer layer of tissue of the stem). (True thorns, as produced by e.g. Citrus or Pyracantha, are modified stems, which always originate at a node and which have nodes and internodes along the length of the thorn itself.) Rose prickles are typically sickle-shaped hooks, which aid the rose in hanging onto other vegetation when growing over it. Some species such as Rosa rugosa and Rosa pimpinellifolia have densely packed straight prickles, probably an adaptation to reduce browsing by animals, but also possibly an adaptation to trap wind-blown sand and so reduce erosion and protect their roots (both of these species grow naturally on coastal sand dunes). Despite the presence of prickles, roses are frequently browsed by deer. A few species of roses have only vestigial prickles that have no points.
For further information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose
Imagine a world without these beautiful pollinators. Not only would it be sad...it would be extremely disastrous to our own survival.
It's a Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) in flight. It's puzzling to me why the lower part of this bee's hind leg is so long and looks the way that it does, as I can't find any photos elsewhere that look like this. Anyway, Happy Wing Wednesday, folks!
A bottle fly visiting a flower in my garden. A lot of people don't realize that flies are critical pollinators in both natural and agricultural systems. A recent analysis of crop species found that flies visited 72% of the 105 crops studied (bees visited 93%). This is just one of the ways that flies contribute to the ecosystem. I can understand peoples initial distaste for flies, due in large part to their portrayal in popular media. I used to feel the same way about them but as I've learned more through my macro photography I've grown to appreciate a lot of the insects that most people don't.