The butterflies are not the only thing after the fall flower blossoms as the honey bee is busy collecting pollen. The way the bees covered the flowers, I think it will be a long, long winter as the bees seem to be stockpiling honey.
Busy Bee
Picture of the Day for November 20, 2012
The sun is shining bright but there are no Lupines or bees collecting pollen to be found this late into the fall. There are approximately 280 species of Lupinus, commonly known as Lupin or Lupine.
Lupins make good companion plants for crops that need significant amounts of nitrogen in their soil since lupins can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere and this allows lupins to be tolerant of infertile soils and capable of pioneering change in barren and poor quality soils.
The yellow legume seeds of lupins, commonly called lupin beans, were popular with the Romans, who spread the plant’s cultivation throughout the Roman Empire.
Colorful Lupine
Picture of the Day for July 11, 2012
Some of the road ditches have turned into a sea of pink. The Monarda media, better known as Purple Bergamont or Purple Bee Balm, is a native wildflower that is a member of the mint family. When I was taking pictures, there were more butterflies than bees on the flowers, or it seemed that way since the butterflies are larger. But I did spot one honey bee working hard so the Purple Bee Balm name could apply for this blossom.
Busy Bee on Purple Bergamont or Purple Bee Balm
