Category: Pollination

Scarlet Beebalm

Soon to be glowing red in a big swath of my garden. Scarlet Beebalm (Monarda didyma). Native to eastern North America.

Attracting hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. Fluttering, buzzing and humming.

Spicebush Swallowtails (Papilio troilus) aren’t the only butterflies that enjoy the nectar and help pollinate the Scarlet Beebalm. Oodles show up.

A carefree plant that fills the space it is provided but doesn’t jump to other gardens. Well behaved. And for gardeners who would rather not spend time weeding. The plants grow into a dense little “forest” of fragrant leaves crowding out any weeds that might be tempted to intrude.

And those Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. So entertaining. These flowers just seem to be designed specifically for the hummingbirds.

Joy in the summer. If I can’t have my winter, and my snow, I’ll be happy to take the brilliant colors and the wonderful critters.

Venus’ Looking Glass

I’m always taking photos of things that I have no idea of their identification. That was the case back in late June 2013 when I took this photo. A small plant with little flowers with, oh my, what a gorgeous color. As always, I came back to my cabin and opened up my books to solve the mystery. Turns out the mystery plant is Venus’ Looking Glass (Triodanis perfoliata).

From Canada to Argentina, this annual herb is native to North and South America.

The plants generally grow to be four to twelve inches tall without branching. The flowers are about one-half inch across.

Both the leaves and the stem contain a milky sap reminiscent of the stem of a dandelion. Along with the flowers that open and get pollinated in the normal fashion, the flowers on the bottom of the stem never open and self–pollinate. Seeds capsules develop from the ovaries of all the flowers, containing tiny wind dispersed seeds the color of mahogany and the shape of a lens.

Since that summer when I first found this plant I have occasionally seen Venus’ Looking Glass growing one or two at a time at the edges of my woods. A welcome addition to my woodland home.

Blueberries

I’m watching both the progress the blueberry blooms are making as well as the calendar. Watching the blossoms grow and mature. Watching the weeks go by on the calendar. Right now in early April there are only tight buds on the many bushes.

And it’s hard to say since this is weather related and as we all know the weather can be extremely capricious. Hard to say when the blooms will be open.

Hard to say when the butterflies and bees will be called to the blueberry flowers. Called by the nectar and pollen. Called to pollinate the blooms that will become delicious morsels of goodness.

It will seem like forever to me. Going from compact buds to petite orbs. Forever and still not exactly what I’m waiting for.

Slowly slowly those petite orbs will swell. And go from apple green to a lavender blush to finally deep blue. But I’ve learned over the years I can’t be too quick. Those first berries looking so luscious blue are still lavender blush on the other side. The far side hidden and waiting to fool me. Be patient. They will turn totally inky blue with a white bloom with time. That’s what it’s all about. Patience and waiting.

I’ll be waiting. All this time. Waiting to pull out simple ingredients.

Waiting to turn those berries, those luscious inky blue with white bloom berries into blueberry pies. Other things too, but oh those pies!

Mayapple

Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) is a perennial herbaceous plant that is native to eastern North America.

In the past few days Mayapples have been poking their noses up through the surface of the earth in one of my gardens. The beginning of a beautiful process. They emerge with their leaves, either one or two, folded like a work of meticulous origami.

As time passes the leaves expand, reaching to greet whatever or whoever might be witnessing the process.

If there are a pair of leaves those two leaves will share a stem that forks. In the axil of the stem there will be a bud which opens to be about 2 inches wide, a circle of 6 to 9 waxy white petals.

More than likely these Mayapples are genetically identical, growing from rhizomes spreading in the soil. Making pollination of the flowers unlikely since genetic diversity is needed.

As mid-summer arrives the leaves will go dormant leaving their home as if they had never been there, until the next spring, when it will happen all over again.