The native flower, Turtlehead, named because of the blossom’s lips look like a turtle’s beak, but to me the flower could be called Bumblebee flower instead as if you look closely, you might see a bumblebee squeezing into a blossom or backing out of one. Bumblebees are one of the few insects strong enough to push open the mouth and wiggle past the stamen that acts like a roadblock to reach the nectar.
Bumblebee in Turtlehead
While some insects seem to be more prevalent this year (like wasps), the butterfly and moths numbers seem to be down and I haven’t spotted many of the hummingbird type moths like this White-lined Sphinx Moth. When I saw the first one as a kid, I did think it was a hummingbird with its wingspan up to three and half inches and the way it was hovering around the blossoms, but it was only a moth.
White-lined Sphinx Moth
With the temperature reaching the 40s, a few insects appeared to have thawed out but there are no blooming flowers or this white-lined sphinx moth flying around as the sunshine melted some of the snow. This moth does not survive Wisconsin’s harsh winters but moves up from the south most springs.
White-lined Sphinx
Bumblebees crawl deep into the blossoms of the turtleheads and the blossom closes and hides the bees from view until they back out of the flower, but they might want to stay wrapped in the petals during the past several frozen mornings.
Bee Heading In
A fall blooming wildflower, the turtlehead flowers attract bumblebees, who are strong enough to push the lips of the blossom open enough to squeeze inside for the nectar.
Bumblebee and Turtlehead
The bumblebees were busy today squeezing into the turtlehead blossoms and the bee would be “swallowed up” by the flower as it collected the pollen before the bee pried its way back out.
Bumblebee on Turtlehead Blossom
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
Watch the bumblebee enter the turtlehead blossom.