Wildlife Wednesday: Much abuzz about flowers

The spring ephemerals are continuing their subtle dance across woodland floors and the other hibernators are slowly waking to the promise of more consistent warmth. In April, the eastern forest becomes abuzz with activity. That is why this week we are featuring the bumblebee (Bombus spp.) as our first Wildlife Wednesday guest.

Native bumblebees are important pollinators in the United States. Only the queen will survive by overwintering underground. When she awakes from her stupor, she starts to look for resources that will help her rebuild her monarchy: nectar and pollen. 

Among the plants available for nectar are the spring ephemerals, including Dutchman’s Breeches. For the queen bee it is an attractive choice because of the bright yellow colors. It is even more appealing for queens equipped with a long proboscis (tongue), as they can easily retrieve nectar stored at the flower tip. The plant benefits as the queen brushes up against pollen-producing anthers in the process.

From left to right: Common Eastern Bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) (credit: © funnystuff2495), Dutchman's breeches (credit: © jerrhass), and the two species together (© bev435)

Some species of Bombus have shorter tongues, as do smaller bees (workers), and they will instead chew holes into flowers such as the Dutchman’s Breeches, not providing the same pollination benefit. So the queen is certainly the bee's knees when it comes to pollinating this species!

Sources and further information: 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/bumblebees.shtml#:~:text=Bumblebees%20(of%20the%20genus%20Bombus,mouse%20nest%20or%20rodent%20burrow.
http://www.restoringthelandscape.com/2013/06/pollination-of-dutchmans-breeches-royal.html 
https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/documents/BumbleBeeGuideEast2011.pdf

Publicerat 12 april 2023 13.37 av hai827