horse flies sucking nectar

horse flies sucking nectar 

from the prickly white balls

of Rattlesnake Master

Few flowers dare to bloom in this prolonged high heat and drought, but Rattlesnake Master is one of them. This odd member of the Carrot family looks more like some kind of desert plant with its long, strappy leaves and prickly balls of flowers. But it is actually a tallgrass prairie species with a deep root that helps protect it from drought, as well as an unusual flower arrangement adapted to heat and dry conditions. At the top of a long stalk, the plant divides into short stems ending in whitish green balls consisting of many small white flowers surrounded by prickly bracts. The flowers bloom in mid- to late summer and emit a strong honey-like scent in bright sunlight. Native Americans used the dry seedheads as rattles. Pioneers may have associated the rattle with rattlesnakes because they believed, erroneously, that the root could be used as an antidote for rattlesnake bite.
          Pollinators are equally hard-pressed to find nectar-bearing flowers, so it's not surprising that some of them are attracted to Rattlesnake Master. When I stop to watch some large, black insects crawling all over the white flower balls of a small patch of Rattlesnake Master, I am surprised that these pollinators are not Dark bees. Their fat black bristle-bottom bodies are unlike a bee's elongated body, and their broad face and large horizontal eyes do not look anything like a bee's heart-shaped face and angular eyes. With a start I recognize them -- Horse flies -- and I take a few steps back. From my past experience with Horse flies, they will bite painfully, usually on the back of the neck, and will suck blood. However, these Horse flies seem oblivious to my bare neck and arms, so I conclude that they are not the vampire females but rather the nectar- and pollen-feeding males. I step up for a few closeup photos and the docile males just continue busily sucking nectar.

humble bumblebee

humble bumblebee

tirelessly pollinating

every blooming thing

Bumblebees are big and noisy and they can sting, more than once, though usually only to defend their nest. But these native North American bees are major pollinators and now they're in as much trouble as their European cousins, honeybees. The decline of these once numerous pollinators threatens not only our food supply but almost every blooming thing. Without pollinators the plant kingdom would be reduced to mosses, ferns and fungi. What would survive on that diet?
          The cause of the decline of bumblebees is not clear, but several factors play a major role: loss of wild habitat through monoculture farms and urban growth, the use of pesticides, parasites and fungus diseases, and last but not least, global warming.
          This is National Pollinator Week, a good time to appreciate all of our tireless pollinators. So plant some flowers today!

pink buds burst open

pink buds burst open 

into five pointed rocket 

flowers on milky stems

     Common milkweed, Asclepius syriaca, is such an amazing "weed," I wonder why more people don't grow this beautiful perennial in their gardens. Every part of the plant is useful. Carl Linnaeus named the genus after Asclepius, the Greek god of healing, because of the many folk-medicinal uses for the milkweed plants. 
     The milky sap which gives milkweed its name contains latex, alkaloids and cardenolides, the plant's defenses against caterpillars, though Monarch butterflies feed on the plants despite its chemical defenses. The sap when applied externally is a natural remedy for poison ivy, clotting small wounds, treating ringworm, and removing warts and moles. 
     The shoots that come up in spring taste look and taste like asparagus when boiled. 
     The pinkish-purple pom pom flower heads that appear in early summer look like loose broccoli but taste like the shoots when boiled.
     The nectar inside the flowers can be used as a sweetener and is an important source of nectar for pollinators such as bees, wasps and butterflies. (Milkweed pollination occurs in an unusual manner. Instead of tetrads or individual grains, milkweed pollen is packed into little sacs called pollinia. When a visiting insect slips into one of the five slits in each flower, the sac attaches to the insect's feet or mouth and then gets deposited in another flower.)
     The immature follicles or seed pods that appear in late summer can be boiled and eaten whole. The immature wad of floss inside the pods when boiled is slightly sweet and looks, acts and tastes like cheese.
     The pappus or "silk" inside the mature pods is lightweight and makes an excellent insulator, better than down.
     A tea prepared from the roots is used as a diuretic for kidney stones, a laxative and an expectorant.
     The entire plant is beneficial to nearby plants, repelling some pests, especially wireworms.
     Best of all, in the fall when the pods ripen and spit open, milkweeds provide magical entertainment. Inside the follicle, the flat brown seeds are packed together in what looks like a smooth pine cone with overlapping scales. Each seed is attached to a white filament. As the silky filaments dry, they begin to expand and puff out. When a child (or young-hearted adult) blows on the dry silk, the white parachutes detach and sail away, carrying their small passengers aloft, bound for a new home.

wild bee balm blooming

wild bee balm blooming

in the meadow, nectar for

yellow swallowtail

Monarda, also called wild bergamot, bee balm, horsemint or Oswego tea, is blooming in pinkish-lavender clumps all over the meadows and sunny swaths along the roads. The tiny tubular blossoms clustered at the tip of the stem look like a tasseled head out of a Dr. Seuss story. The flowers attract pollinators able to extract nectar and pollen from the long tubes, such as hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. My apiarist neighbor is happy that her honeybees are foraging on these pesticide-free flowers. The crushed leaves exude a spicy, fragrant oil that tastes like a slightly bitter blend of spearmint, peppermint and oregano. When my Potawatomi friend came for a visit, she was delighted to find bee balm growing in my wildflower garden. She said the plant has long been used by Native Americans as a seasoning for wild game, as well as for medicinal purposes, such as an antiseptic poultice for skin infections and minor wounds, an infusion for headaches and fevers, and a tea for mouth and throat infections. Not just a folk herb, the antimicrobial ingredient of bee balm, thymol, is used commercially as the primary active ingredient in modern mouthwash formulas.