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"Wild Rose (Rosa blanda) with two Metallic Green Sweat Bee species" - photograph - ©Bruce A. Morrison |
I'm
fairly confident these are "Rosa blanda" as they are really very smooth
and un-barbed on the flowering stems...further down on the base stem
they are very barbed.
The
roses were being visited by Bumble Bees and Metallic Green Sweat Bees.
Which one these two are, I am less sure of. But they are most likely
female Texas Striped Sweat Bees - Agapostemon texanus or Bicolored
Striped Sweat Bees - Agapostemon virescens, as the females present
totally metallic green - both thorax and abdomen. However, they could
also be Metallic Green Sweat Bees (Augochloropsis metallica)...another
common native bee where both males and females are primarily shiny,
metallic green overall.
But
I'm at least confident of the Wild Rose in the photo! If I could live
another 3/4 of a century, I think I could manage to be a fair amateur
entomologist too!
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| Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) - photograph - ©Bruce A. Morrison |
Who
doesn't love Butterfly Milkweed?!! This is one engaging native
wildflower in the pastures here in SE O'Brien County, IA. One of the
most recognized milkweed family (Asclepias) member.
Often
adopted for the domestic garden, this milkweed will grow in nearly any
soil type. Those found here are generally on the gravel slopes and
return year after year.
From what I have observed over time is they tend to thrive when they aren't overly crowded by a higher canopy.
We
have found this is a good "ambassador" plant for the prairie
"uninitiated". When we first came to our little spot many years back, a
particular neighbor didn't seem approving of us letting the pastures
return to their native state...once a few of the Butterfly Milkweed
started to return, some interest was peaked and casual interested
conversations became more frequent.
You can observe the Asclepias tuberosa in the pastures here in a short "A Prairie Moment" video at the following link -
Thank
you for visiting my Blog - Happy Fourth of July to everyone out
there...please remember to be good to one another - we are all in this
together!
I hope to see you on the Tallgrass!
