Ramble Report: September 1, 2022
Leader for
today's Ramble: Jim
Moneyhun, Flower Garden Curator
Authors of today’s
Ramble report: Linda and Don (please send comments and corrections to Linda: Lchafin@uga.edu)
Insect identifications: Don Hunter, Heather Larkin
Link to Don’s Facebook album for this Ramble. All the photos that appear in this report, unless otherwise credited, were taken by Don Hunter.
Number of Ramblers today: 29
Today's emphasis: Jim, one of two curators of the Flower Garden, took us on a walk through his domain, concentrating on flowers and plants that attract and support pollinators.
29 Ramblers today
Today’s Reading: Jim read from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s 1790 book The Metamorphosis of Plants: “Anyone who observes, even a little, the growth of plants, will easily discover that certain of their external parts sometimes undergo a change and assume, either entirely, or in greater or lesser degree, the form of the parts adjacent to them. So, the simple flower, for example, often changes to a double flower if the petals develop at the place of stamens and anthers.” |
| Jim Moneyhun, Flower Garden Curator |
Show-and-Tell: Jim brought Dahlia and Zinnia flower heads, with examples of singles and doubles of each flower head. Both Dahlias and Zinnias are in the Aster family which is characterized by flower heads with two types of flowers. In the center of each head, there is a disk (or sometimes a raised cone) of many tiny, tightly packed fertile flowers that produce nectar. Being fertile, they have stamens and pistils and, if pollinated, will produce seeds. The disk is surrounded by one or more whorls of large, colorful sterile flowers whose purpose is attracting pollinators–they have no stamens or pistils and produce neither nectar or seeds. (There are, of course, some exceptions to this to be discussed on later rambles this fall.) Through breeding techniques, horticulturists have developed Aster family plants that produce heads composed mostly of the showy ray flowers with few or no disk flowers (marigolds are another good example). Since there is little or no nectar on offer, pollinators quickly learn to bypass these flower heads as they search for nectar. And since these sterile flowers produce no seeds, they provide nothing for seed-eating birds or small mammals. A flower bed composed only of doubled flower heads will not see many bees or butterflies in the summer or finches in the fall.
Top, a Zinnia flower head with two whorls of sterile
ray flowers (white-and-red-striped) surrounding a disk with many yellow fertile
flowers that produce nectar and, if pollinated, seeds. Bottom, a
"doubled" Zinnia flower head where the fertile disk flowers have been
replaced by sterile ray flowers, which produce neither nectar or seeds.
Dahlia flower head with a single whorl of ray flowers
and many yellow disk flowers.
Dahlia flower head with many whorls of ray flowers and
no disk flowers.
A similar thing happens with flowers in other plant families. There is a Bloodroot cultivar named ‘Multiplex’ where all the stamens and pistils have been converted to petals, creating a showy flower that looks more like a Peony than a Bloodroot. With no reproductive parts, these flowers are incapable of sexually reproducing and are increased only by manual division or other forms of cloning. Doubling occurs naturally in many plant families and was written about as long ago as 286 BC. It is also used by modern horticulturalists to create showier flower clusters. However it occurs, doubling happens at the expense of reducing the numbers of and availability of the pollen-, seed-, and nectar-producing structures in the flower or flower head.
Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis 'Multiplex'
Photo by Brunk-Tan, Wikimedia Commons
Monarch
nectaring on the disk flowers of a Mexican Sunflower. The orange ray flowers attracted the insect and also provide a platform as it
feeds.
The main thrust of Jim’s presentation was to say that the Garden has examples of single flowers, as well as doubles of many species, scattered throughout the Garden. The doubles are primarily for show but he and other curators recognize the need for a balance between the single and double varieties, and make sure the more pollinator-friendly single flowers are well represented.
Jim also mentioned that the Japanese recognize 24 seasons in a solar year, further broken down into 72 micro-seasons that are based on subtle but observable changes in nature, such as ‘Spring Winds Thaw the Ice’ and ‘The Maple and the Ivy Turn Yellow.’ The Japanese micro-season for where we are now is described as “the heat starts to die down.” Perfect!
Today's Route: We left the Children’s Garden, heading towards the Visitor Center, passing between the Ceramics Museum and the Visitor Center, and through the corner of the Heritage Garden, before dropping down into the Flower Garden. We eventually reached the lower sections of the Flower Garden and made our way along all of the paths before heading back up into the Heritage Garden, past the Pawpaw patch and on into the Physic Garden and Herb Garden.
OBSERVATIONSIT'S SPIDER SEASON!
Spiny-backed Orb Weaver in its web
Joro Spider in its seemingly chaotic and multi-layered
web.
Hopes that Joros had diminished in number this year have been dashed.
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| Yellow Garden Spider in its dewdrop-bejeweled web. |
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| Heather's keen eyes spotted this very well camouflaged Citrid Flatid Planthopper on a branch overhanging the sidewalk from the parking lot to the Visitor Center. |
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| The Pecan tree in the Heritage Garden is swarming with
caterpillars whose frass litters the sidewalk beneath |
As Jim led us through the Flower Garden, he pointed out a number of cultivars that have been selected for color or extra petals or ray flowers but that have retained their attraction for insect pollinators.
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| Zahara® Starlight Rose Zinnias are a horticultural selection focused on the color of the ray flowers that has left the fertile disk flowers intact. |
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| Eastern Tiger Swallowtail nectaring on a flower head of Zahara® Starlight Rose Zinnias |
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| Pink Celosia is a favorite of several wasp species, including Thread-waisted Wasps. There are two types of ornamental Celosia, "rooster-comb" with large triangular inflorescences and "wheat" with spiked inflorescences. Native to Africa, Celosia is a genus in the Amaranth family, along with lots of edible plants such as spinach, beet, quinoa, and lamb's quarters. Some species of Celosia are cultivated in the tropics for their tasty greens and edible seeds. |
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| Great Black Digger Wasp visiting Pink Celosia flowers in this "wheat" type inflorescence. The flowers bloom from the bottom of the spike up, with the unopened buds being the most colorful and newly opened flowers providing nectar. The spikes elongate as the season progresses, remaining erect and a silvery-pink well into the fall. Each flower consists of a colorful calyx, five stamens, a pistil, and several nectaries that ring the base of the pistil; there are no petals. |
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| Rattlesnake Master flower heads are another wasp favorite. Most plants in our area with spherical flower heads are in the Aster family, but Rattlesnake Master is in the Carrot Family, along with Queen Anne's Lace, Poison Hemlock, and Meadow-parsnip, species that have the familiar dome-shaped flower heads more typical of this family. |
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| Eastern Carpenter Bee nectar-robbing through the calyx of a Russian Sage flower. With a head far too large to access nectar through the front of the flower, Carpenter Bees pierce the base of the calyx and corolla to reach the nectaries. |
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| Holy Basil is in the same genus as the familiar culinary Basil but is widely used for religious and medicinal purposes in India. |
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| Holy Basil flowers with their prominent, pollen-laden anthers and open throats are welcoming to bees. (Photo by Pranav, Flickr) |
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| Wildflowers in the genus Gaura are aptly named Bee-blossom. Bee-blossom is a nectar-rich perennial – native to the southern U.S. – that thrives in full sun, heat, and humidity. The genus was recently merged with Oenothera, the evening-primroses, along with several other genera, creating a large and unwieldy group that will likely be split again soon. |
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| Honey-bee visiting a Bee-blossom flower |
Cosmos, a native of Mexico, is a genus in the Aster family with about 26 species. Numerous hybrids and cultivars have been bred for a wide range of flower colors and plant sizes. Most have retained their pollinator appeal and ability to reproduce by seed. The genus name is also used as the common name and trade name.
Abelia is an old-fashioned Southern landscape plant that provides nectar for bees and butterflies throughout summer and fall. The genus Abelia is native to east Asia and Mexico. There are numerous cultivars offering different leaf and flower colors, stem heights, and fall leaf colors. None are known to have spread from cultivation and become invasive. Here's a link to in-depth information on this genus and its landscape uses.
Pink Agastache is pollinated by long-tongued insects
and hummingbirds. In case you were wondering, that name is pronounced:
"Ah-GAS-tuh-key"
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| Blue Mealy Sage |
Angelonia, a genus of about 30 species and many
cultivars, is related to snapdragons. They are native to Brazil. A Common
Buckeye caterpillar is exploring its flowers, though whether they use this
species as a host plant is not known.
Honeybee nectaring on Garlic Chives flower
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| Ligated Furrow Bee gathering pollen from the disk
flowers of a Zinna flower head. Photo by Heather Larkin |
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| Cloudless Sulphur butterfly nectaring on the disk
flowers of a Mexican Sunflower |
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| Horace's Duskywing nectaring on Lantana flowers Photo by Heather Larkin |
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| Eastern Carpenter Bee, nectar robbing on Anise-scented Sage |
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| Warmer winters and hardy cultivars have made it possible to grow bananas in Athens. This cultivar will come back year after year. |
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| Banana flowers consist of modified leaves (reddish-purple) that enclose elongated yellow ovaries (future bananas) topped with small sepals, petals, stamens, and styles. |
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| A
"hand" of developing bananas (bottom) and some newly opened flowers
(top). For a very in-depth look at banana flowers and fruits, here's a great webpage. |
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| Ginger Lily is not a true lily, but it is a true ginger – it's in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, native to Asia. There are about 75 species in this genus, with many cultivars. Flower color ranges from white (Butterfly Lily, Hedychium coronarium), to yellow, pink, and orange. Almost all species are incredibly fragrant. In their native habitats, they are pollinated by insects, nocturnal moths, and birds. |
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| Saddleback Caterpillar Moth Photo by Gary Maness, Moths of North Carolina |
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| Tiger Lily flowers look a lot like our native Turk's-cap Lily, but this species is from Asia. Unlike our native lily species, they reproduce vegetatively by producing bulbils in the leaf axils. The plants that derive from the bulbils are clones of the parent plant. Tiger Lilies also reproduce sexually from seed. |
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| Forktail damselfly Photo by Heather Larkin |
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| Redbud Leaf-folder caterpillar surrounded by pellets
of frass Photo by Heather Larkin |
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| Last
summer, Flower Garden curators and volunteers enjoyed a watermelon
break that included a seed-spitting contest. This year they were
rewarded with a small crop of watermelons. |
Citrus Flatid Planthopper Metcalfa pruinose
Mexican Sunflower Tithonia rotundifolia
Monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Papilio glaucus
Rattlesnake Master Eryngium yuccifolium
Pecan Carya illinoensis
Zahara® Starlight Rose Zinnia Zinnia sp.
Russian Sage Perovskia atriplicifolia
Eastern Carpenter Bee Xylocopa virginica
Purple Basil Ocimum basilicum
Pink 'Wheat' Celosia, Celosia spicata
Holy Basil Ocimum tenuiflorum
Cleome/Cat’s Whiskers Cleome gynandra
Zinnias, not specified Zinnia sp.
Cosmos Cosmos sp.
Gaura Gaura sp.
Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera
Abelia Abelia x grandiflora ‘Kaleidoscope’
Butterfly Weed milkweed Asclepias tuberosa
Oleander aphids Aphis nerii
Midges Family Chironomidae
Yellow Garden Spider Agriope aurantia
Banana plant Musa sp.
Golden Alexander Zizia aurea
Smooth Sumac Rhus glabra
Saddleback caterpillar Acharia stimulea
Ginger Lily Hedychium sp.
Tiger Lily Lilium lancifolium syn. Lilium tigrinum
Watermelon Citrullus lanatus
Angelonia Angelonia augustifolia
Agastache Agastache rupestris
Blue Mealy Sage Salvia farinacea
Common Buckeye caterpillar Junonia coenia
Job’s Tears Coix lacryma-jobi
Buckwheat ‘Takane Ruby’ Fagopyrum esculentum
Blackberry Lily Iris domestica
American Sycamore Platanus occidentalis
Garlic Chives Allium tuberosum
Peacock Gladiolus Gladiolus murielae
Anise-scented Sage Salvia guaranitica