Japanese aralia blooms being visited by insects Part 1

When the temperatures start dropping, this glossy leafed plant will bloom. And it attracts all kinds of insects. Though they are not the kinds that normally pollinate plants. Mostly Yellowjackets and Hornets seem to be attracted to the buds of this plant. Though I also find Mosquitoes, Ants and Flies visiting these flowers. And even the occasional Honey bee can be seen visiting these plants.

I have had this plant for almost 10 years and it has grown to be almost to 6' already. The blooms happen to be right by my stairway going up to the deck. And I must say walking past this plant when there are 20 Yellowjackets and a few Hornets on it is a little unsettling.

This year I decided to gather my wits and set up my macro lens on my Lumix GH3 and record their activities. I was a little worried I was going to be stung, as I have had Yellowjackets and Hornets go sting me before. Though it would seem when they are visiting plants for nectar they are focused on that and really did not bother me. This allowed me to take some good video from different angles of these visitors.

It was fun watching how the insects would share blooms together until one got too close to the other. Mostly Yellowjackets would scare away Flies as they reached the same place on the flower. I guess the Fly did not want to be killed by these predators. But everyone is hungry for nectar this time of year as pollen and food is scarce as winter sets in. This brings all kinds of bugs to this one plant, as it produces alot of nectar for the insects to feed on.

A Honey bee was spotted with its pollen baskets filled up. Probably doing a few last runs between this plant and its colony before winter really sets in. Probably one of the last plants they will feed on before spring starts in a few months from now. The blooms from the Japanese aralia last a few weeks and will slowly open up over time. But once they are done it will not bloom for another year.

Glad to see this plant doing so well, and these bugs are helping it to reproduce and form seeds. Its a relationship that plants and insects share. The plant gives them nectar and the insects spread around the pollen allowing for the flowers to produce seeds.

(Unsupported https://lbry.tv/$/embed/japanesebudspart1/f32ee0c29412d39bb89e2f37b4b9f69576e77309?r=3urrKhdN9iH7zyRX6cjYysCbSwPSAPus)



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