Videos of bees, flies, and bulbs

Travis O enoster@hotmail.com
Wed, 11 Mar 2015 05:36:11 PDT
Hi,

This weekend I recorded more bulbs being visited by pollinators. Please select the high def version, or at least the 480 version to see the best detail.

I have about eight blue and white hyacinths planted pretty far apart from each other. Despite that, I watched as two or three honeybees worked each plant at a time! The blue varieties seem to be more attractive to them. In the background you may hear my daughter, Zia, she'll be two in June.

Honeybees on hyacinth:
http://youtu.be/BFDrD1mhVIg/

The second video shows a Syrphid fly on Anemone blanda, presumably eating pollen. You can see the fly's proboscis moving in and out. I couldn't get any closer, hoverflies are too skittish and take me for a predator, haha.

Hoverfly on Anemone:
http://youtu.be/bJfeBZGcVK0/

And of course, a few accompanying pictures on my blog:
http://amateuranthecologist.blogspot.com/

----
Spring feels like it's been here for months (what winter?). Crocus buds appeared in November! Now, Dodecatheon is blooming everywhere and just yesterday I saw the first Erythronium hendersonii with an open flower! It was at least a week or two ahead of all the rest, whose buds are just above the soil level. I hope y'all in the East can have spring soon. Go make snow angels!

-Travis Owen
Rogue River, OR



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