Every year about this time, I hope to see rusty-patched bumble bees, an endangered species. It's always a thrill to find them in my garden! Some of their favorite plants here have been various Alliums and Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa).
In the past several days, their favorite hangout has been the Invincibelle Lace® Hydrangea (H. arborescens subsp. radiata), which is a cultivar of the native H. radiata. For several years, this easy-care, shade-tolerant shrub has made itself at home in a special garden spot, and the pollinators are now visiting with abandon. It's a lovely shrub--from bud to bloom and beyond.
The scent when it blooms is amazing!
And even as it fades, its florets and filaments capture little treasures, like errant leaves.
And the wings of former visitors.
During my recent observation, rusty-patched bumble bees were joined by many other pollinators for a party on the flowers.
It was fun to watch banded longhorn beetles climbing up its structure.
The light of the shrub's dappled-shade location plays magically across the flowers.
The scent when it blooms is amazing!
And even as it fades, its florets and filaments capture little treasures, like errant leaves.
And the wings of former visitors.
During my recent observation, rusty-patched bumble bees were joined by many other pollinators for a party on the flowers.
It was fun to watch banded longhorn beetles climbing up its structure.
The light of the shrub's dappled-shade location plays magically across the flowers.
This little Hydrangea is happy in its home at the base of a Crabapple tree. And it has a special purpose--hosting an endangered species and a wide range of other pollinators.
Happy 4th of July!
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The rusty-patched bumble bee has been listed as an endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act since 2017. Once commonly found throughout a broad range of eastern and northcentral North America, its presence has shrunk to a few small areas within that native range. We're fortunate in this part of the Midwest to still find them in our gardens and natural areas.
The Xerces Society offers suggestions on how we can all get involved in bumble bee conservation--to help the endangered rusty-patched bumble bee and other species.
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