Hi Martin, How interesting that the bumblebees have learned a new strategy to get food. Interesting that they figured out how to eat their way through the corollas. I have never seen Digitalis lutea in the USA, but in Rome I saw it for the first time and really liked it. There was another Digitalis whose name I can't remember that I have only seen there too. Could you hand pollinate the Mirabilis to make sure you get some seeds? It would be a shame for you to have to do without them! Mark > Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2015 11:05:16 +0200 > From: garak@code-garak.de > To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > Subject: Re: [pbs] Floral Visitors > > Hi Travis. > > wonderful pictures and very precise observations here, a pleasure to > read. I'm always a bit jealous on your hummingbirds, since there are > none in Europe - closest thing is the Hummingbird Hawkmoth, cute little > fellows, which increased in numbers around here in the last 30 years > when the climate got notably warmer. > > Unfortunately, I have more of a problem with my floral visitors here in > southern Germany: the bumblebees somehow have learned that the easy way > to feed on Mirabilis Jalapa is to bite through the side of the tube and > directly drink from this short cut - which then again lets the flower > wither and most of the time destroys the style, strongly reducing my > seed harvest. I've grown Mirabilis J. for at least 20 years, and I've > never seen such behavior. To make it worse, they now expand this > knowledge to other plants: I've found side-entries to Digitalis Lutea > and Antirrhinum Siculum, looks like any funnel-shaped flower too tight > for bumblebees is under attack. This summer was extremely hot and dry, > so I hope they're just desperate and return to normal in following > years. this, or I'll have to work without my beloved mirabilis. > > Greetings > Martin > > Am 01.08.2015 um 19:23 schrieb Travis O: > > I've uploaded some new photos in a new blog post in my "Floral Visitors" series. Crocosmia and a few Alliums are the featured bulbs (members of the Asteraceae and Lamiaceae, among others, make up the rest). Enjoy: > > > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/