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Pollination station
Two Swallowtail butterflies partake in pollinating thistles in a Riparian Buffer located on Wilbanks Farm in Rapidan, Virginia. Photo By: Grace Wilbanks
Pollinator at work! I like to think of our yard as a "natural eco-scape." While the random, wandering plants make a "messy", quirky, out-of-control palette, they're still delightful - - - here a crocus, there some daffodils, ah, there's the Jack-in-the-Pulpits, white violets, star of Bethlehem, dead nettle, spring beauty, blue volets. Some homeowners and landscapers think of these as invasives that need to be rooted out with extreme prejudice. Sounds like too much work to me. I'd rather enjoy them and share them with the pollinators. This season's "volunteer" arrival is Fleabane. We have quite a stand of it by the shed. The teeny, tiny flies and bees are loving their daisy-like flowers.
Close-up of Patersonia occidentalis (long purpleflag) flower showing pollen grains and strange umbrella-like stigma.
. . . This super huge, mild mannered Bumble Bee was one of many spotted in the Azalea bushes! It's amazing to me how the flowers depend on the bees to reproduce and spread pollen to the next flower. Hopefully the bees come back from their world-wide decrease in numbers the past few years.
Have a great Mother's Day Facebook, Flickr, and 500px friends!
Our 2015 pollinator garden as of mid-July. Many of the flowers that should have bit the dust by now (lupine, bachelor's buttons, etc.) are still going strong!
** PICTURE TAKEN FROM INTERNET. Difficulty taking photo while on site due to inability to get close enough for clear photo (did not want to contract poison ivy). Could visualize pollinators with binoculars, camera zoom was not adequate enough to obtain clear photos.
One type of pollinator visited the plant- a honey bee. This matched my prediction of pollinators for the species, as I predicted that beetles and bees would be most likely to visit the poison ivy based on the plant characteristics.
The total pollinator per hour on a per flower basis for poison ivy at my site was 8. The national average for pollinators per hour is around 10- my results were slightly lower than this.
do you think pollinator service can serve as proxy for other types of ecosystem variable (water filtration, soil production, air quality)? explain how one might be closely allied to pollinator service and why?
Yes- it is feasible that pollinators can serve as a proxy for other types of ecosystem variables, such as water air quality. By pollinating the plant (as well as, in the caseof the honey bee, producting nectar from the plant), it promotes plant reproduction and metabolism. Both of these processes require energy use, which can come in many forms, but most notably for plants the energy is derived from photosynthesis. Photosynthesis releasees oxygen to the atmosphere and improves air quality, thus improving the quality of life for all organisms around the plant while simultaneously providing energy for itself and improving the air.
Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, Feb. 21, 2013. Thistles provide food for many of our pollinators. Photo by: E. Tramontana, USFWS. www.fws.gov/lakewoodruff/
A bee pollinates as the sun begins to lower to the horizon. You can see the pollen all over its body.
A Black-headed Hoverfly and Dermestid Beetle on Erigeron karvinskianus.
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There I was with my tripod set up to take some pics of the Rhododendron when along came this balding bee.
Fragrant lilac attracting a host of pollinators.
California lilac: Coast Ceanothus, Ceanothus verrucosus.
In the spring of 2011, the U.S. Mission joined Geneva's Garden Charter and tilled on third of the grounds to be planted with a special mixture of indigenous species prepared by the Canton of Geneva's conservation office (The seed mix is called Prairie Fleurie / Melange de Geneve). The result exceeded our expectations. By mid-summer, our gardens were bursting with life and color much to the delight of U.S. Mission staff! The new gardens are easier to care for, better for biodiversity, and require less water.
U.S. Mission Geneva Photo by Eric Bridiers
A little sweat bee is collecting pollen and facilitating the flowers pollination at the same time.
Sweat Bee (Halictus sp.)
Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella)
My photos can also be found at kapturedbykala.com