The larger of the two butterflyweed clusters in my yard is now in full bloom. As I have lamented before, the showy plant rarely attracts butterflies here. Bees love it, though.
According to the USDA, butterflyweed can be found across a vast range including most of the lower 48 states, as well as eastern Canada. Only Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota are listed as being outside the native range.
The Daily Bucket is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place to note any observations you have made of the world around you. Insects, weather, meteorites, climate, birds and/or flowers. All are worthy additions to the bucket. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
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Butterflyweed, or butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), is a favorite of many gardeners, although it can be difficult to establish. I have been able to "cheat" by digging up plants on private land that were likely to be wiped out by activities such as road-building prior to logging. Some plants appeared to thrive a couple years, only to vanish. The plant featured in this Bucket has faithfully sprouted for about 8 years now.
A week ago, the buds were ready to burst. All images are lightbox; click for a better view.
Now the striking orange blooms are on display.
I'm not an expert on bee identification. Feel free to lend your ID skills to this bucket. I believe that the largest bees with dull yellow coloring are carpenter bees, while the slightly smaller and more brightly colored ones are bumblebees.
This picture really shows the iridescent wings.
Also joining in the action were these smaller bees. My best shot at identifying them is to put them in genus Coelioxys, the cuckoo-leaf-cutter-bees (BugGuide link here.). Again, feel free to educate me if I'm off the mark. Honeybees are attracted to the nearby spiderwort (tradescantia) blossoms, but they tend to avoid the butterflyweed.
Butterflyweed is supposed to attract butterflies, right. Away from the cities, it seems to to just that, as this picture from Kansas shows. Around where I live, I'm guessing that either the plants are too isolated, or insecticides are killing the butterflies.
USDA plant profile for butterflyweed here.
What's buzzing, blooming, fluttering, slithering, or otherwise attracting your attention today? Join the discussion with your favorite observations.
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