Category: Picture of the Day

Picture of the Day for September 20, 2019

If you look closely inside the left blossom, you can spot a bumblebee collecting nectar from the pink turtlehead flower. Turtlehead gets its common name from the blossoms that resemble the shape of a turtle’s head with its mouth partly open although the lips are hard to pry open and bumblebees are one of the few insects that have the strength to enter inside.

Bee Inside Turtlehead

Bee Inside Turtlehead

Watch the bumblebee enter the turtlehead blossom.

Picture of the Day for September 19, 2019

Bugs, bees and butterflies were enjoying a dry day to collect nectar from the late summer flowers. This monarch butterfly was very intent on collecting from goldenrod, which provides a good nectar flow in late summer. Most adults monarchs only live for a few weeks, but the generation born as fall approaches hold off on reproducing and monarchs from this area will make the long migration to Mexico. These migrating monarchs will live for six to eight months before starting back north in the spring.

Monarch on Goldenrod

Monarch on Goldenrod