With Autumn upon us, flowers like Queen Anne’s Lace have mostly bloomed and gone to seed around here. While the goldenrod is still going strong, another “weed” is alive with insects seeking nectar. It’s so popular, in fact, that the bushes buzz with the sound of the industrious creatures.
This plant is a bushy one, studded with tiny white, daisy-like flowers. I think it may be a Small White Aster (Aster vimineus). It has popped up in heavily-traveled areas, often near fencing, and is thriving wherever it sprouts.
The flowers have a lovely, light fragrance that wafts along on the breeze. I was filling water buckets one sunny day and kept smelling a hint of floral perfume – tracking it down led me to the asters. And I saw that others had been drawn to it, too.
Many honeybees were visiting the flowers. They moved at lightning-fast speed from bloom to bloom, wearing their pollen legwarmers, seemingly indefatigable.
Bumblebees, just as efficient, also worked the flowers.
I was surprised to discover that wasps were also visiting the flowers. Fortunately, the paper wasps were more focused on nectar than on a nosy photographer.
Skippers also flitted from bloom to bloom.
I also saw a few of these moths (possibly Corn Earworm moths, as these did have green eyes) – dipping their proboscises in for a drink.
Leatherwings love goldenrod, but were also enthusiastic about the asters.
Summer may be over, but the bees are still working hard to prepare for leaner times.
Maybe we should 🐝, too.