Summer - The Fourth Approaches

 "Wild Rose (Rosa blanda) with two Metallic Green Sweat Bee species" - photograph - ©Bruce A. Morrison 

Each morning here the wild roses along our hillside driveway are really showy from the house...I decided this morning to take the camera and tripod down to see if there were any photos presenting possibilities.

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!

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 - 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG2lJ223zIY

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!