27 August 2019

bumblebees in turtlehead

My turtlehead looks fantastic, since I've been throwing dishwater on it regularly again. Mealy bugs are gone, once in a while I surprise a leaf hopper or stink bug in there is all.
I was watching the bees. I knew they liked the turtlehead flowers-
but I never realized until today that they climb inside them to get the nectar. That black blob on the left of the flower? that's a bee in there.
It was so funny to see them climb in and out of the flowers, my kid and I hung around the turtlehead patch quite a while watching them-
Going in!
The other two patches of turtlehead in my yard aren't blooming yet. Not sure if it's because they are more shaded, or if they are less healthy; this one is adjacent the garden which gets the rich compost. The other spots only get leaf mulch. And I don't usually go out to toss soapy water on them, so they have to deal with more bugs and look a bit ragged, some of the leaves.

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