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Index of Subjects
Index of Subjects --Apple-Mail-1DEBFC2A-71FA-4E43-93C0-0AA596376CF2 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Thank you all for your quick and helpful replies. I will go for hike tomorro= w and see if a wet area that was sadly clearcut this winter may have Turtleh= eads. It does seem the most likely culprit at present. If I find them, and t= he bees, I will let you know. Sent from my iPod On 2014-09-02, at 14:00, Rick Ballard <ideaphore@gmail.com> wrote: > Here is a quote from the web mentioning that the Turtlehead flower does de= posit its pollen on the back of a bee. >=20 > "Bumblebees collect both nectar and pollen, but there would be little adva= ntage to the plants to have pollen collected and fed to the bee=E2=80=99s la= rvae, so the turtlehead has found a way to protect its pollen. The anthers, w= hich hold the pollen, and the stigma, which receives it, are hidden under th= e upper lip of the flower. The bee can only enter the flower by forcing its h= ead and body into the mouth of the flower while holding on to the flowers=E2= =80=99 lower lip. It cannot reach the anthers with its front legs in that po= sition, they are behind it, so the bee cannot collect the pollen. The bee ca= n drink the nectar from the base of the flower, though. As it forces its way= down into the flower, the anthers rub against its velvety back and the poll= en grains are caught. If the flower has already shed its pollen, the anthers= pull back and the stigma becomes receptive. If the next foraging bee has so= me pollen on its back, the pollen sticks onto the stigma and begins to germi= nate." >=20 >=20 > On Tue, Sep 2, 2014 at 1:37 PM, Rick Ballard <ideaphore@gmail.com> wrote: >=20 > On Tue, Sep 2, 2014 at 12:21 PM, Ian McKay <ian@amimckay.com> wrote: > We keep a few hives here in Scots Bay. Over the past week or so the bees h= ave been returning with a very WHITE POLLEN. They are covered in it with a p= ronounced streak down their backs. This leads me to think that they are craw= ling into a tubular blossom of some sort. I haven=E2=80=99t been able to tra= ck it down in my wanderings and it may be a woodland flower as some are head= ing back into the woods. Any ideas as to what it could be, blooming Late Aug= ust/Early Sept? >=20 > =E2=80=8BTurtleheads ! Certainly in bloom now. >=20 > " This unique flower shape has evolved to suit the plant's pollinators, pr= imarily large bees. The lower "lip" of the flower acts as a landing pad for t= he bees, while the upper hood of the flower not only guards the nectar from u= nsuitable pollinators, but also helps deliver pollen to the bees' fuzzy bodi= es as they push apart the petals in search of nectar. =E2=80=8B" >=20 >=20 >=20 > --=20 > Rick Ballard=20 > Dartmouth,Nova Scotia, Canada=20 >=20 >=20 >=20 > --=20 > Rick Ballard=20 > Dartmouth,Nova Scotia, Canada=20 --Apple-Mail-1DEBFC2A-71FA-4E43-93C0-0AA596376CF2 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 <html><head></head><body bgcolor=3D"#FFFFFF"><div>Thank you all for your qui= ck and helpful replies. I will go for hike tomorrow and see if a wet area th= at was sadly clearcut this winter may have Turtleheads. It does seem the mos= t likely culprit at present. If I find them, and the bees, I will let you kn= ow.<br><br>Sent from my iPod</div><div><br>On 2014-09-02, at 14:00, Rick Bal= lard <ideaphore@gmail.com> w= rote:<br><br></div><div></div><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div><div dir=3D"ltr= "><div class=3D"gmail_default" style=3D"font-family:georgia,serif">Here is a= <a href=3D"http://huttonstreet.wordpress.com/2013/09/30/turtlehead-chelone-= glabra/">quote</a> from the web mentioning that the Turtlehead flower does d= eposit its pollen on the <i>back</i> of a bee.<br> <br>"Bumblebees collect both nectar and pollen, but there would be little=20= advantage to the plants to have pollen collected and fed to the bee=E2=80=99= s=20 larvae, so the turtlehead has found a way to protect its pollen. The=20 anthers, which hold the pollen, and the stigma, which receives it, are=20 hidden under the upper lip of the flower. The bee can only enter the=20 flower by forcing its head and body into the mouth of the flower while=20 holding on to the flowers=E2=80=99 lower lip. It cannot reach the anthers wi= th=20 its front legs in that position, they are behind it, so the bee cannot=20 collect the pollen. The bee can drink the nectar from the base of the=20 flower, though. As it forces its way down into the flower, the anthers=20 rub against its velvety back and the pollen grains are caught. If the=20 flower has already shed its pollen, the anthers pull back and the stigma becomes receptive. If the next foraging bee has some pollen on its=20 back, the pollen sticks onto the stigma and begins to germinate."</div></div= ><div class=3D"gmail_extra"><br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Tue, Sep 2= , 2014 at 1:37 PM, Rick Ballard <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:idea= phore@gmail.com" target=3D"_blank">ideaphore@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:= <br> <blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px= #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div class=3D"gmail_extra"><d= iv class=3D""><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Tue, Sep 2, 2014 at 12:21 PM= , Ian McKay <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:ian@amimckay.com" target= =3D"_blank">ian@amimckay.com</a>></span> wrote:<br> <blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-l= eft:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">We keep a few hives here in= Scots Bay. Over the past week or so the bees=20 have been returning with a very WHITE POLLEN. They are covered in it with a=20= pronounced streak down their backs. This leads me to think that they are=20 crawling into a tubular blossom of some sort. I haven=E2=80=99t been able to= track it=20 down in my wanderings and it may be a woodland flower as some are heading b