Bill Dunson, born in rural Georgia, skipped 12th grade and went directly to Yale. Bill subsequent-ly received a PhD in Zoology from the University of Michigan, studying softshell turtles. Bill is Professor Emeritus of Pennsylvania State University thanks to a career spent entirely at that institution, teaching and doing research on the physio-logical ecology and ecotoxiciology of reptiles, amphibians and fish. Always curious about nature, Bill has dedicated his life to learning and sharing his knowledge with others. He has served on many advisory boards here in Southwest Florida to preserve the water that gives life to our region.

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Why Do Bumble Bees Visit Roses?

I was trimming some weeds along a fence and noticed an interesting phenomenon taking place in the bushes. Bumblebees were visiting the flowers of Carolina rose ( Rosa carolina ), a beautiful native species that can be mistaken for the invasive exotic multiflora rose if you are not careful. You will note from the photo that the bee is out of focus, primarily because it is vibrating its body rapidly. When you see this occurring you should immediately suspect that the purpose of the flower visit is not to obtain nectar (which roses do not normally provide) but to get pollen to feed their young. Apparently the vibration releases the pollen; you will see the "pollen basket" on the hind leg of the bee already packed with yellow pollen. This may surprise you if make the assumption that all flowers produce nectar to attract pollinators. Another one of these exceptions to the general rule of nectar production by flowers is the swamp mallow or hibiscus ( Hibiscus moscheutos ) which is also visited by bumblebees only to obtain pollen for their babies.

So once again we find that nature is complex, interesting and amazing!

Bill Dunson
Galax, VA & Englewood, FL