Asters and Friends

Tiny bumblebees and other pollinators have been taking full advantage of late blooming asters. 

My sister had a bumblebee nest by her front door this summer and we learned quite a lot about the creatures. They didn't bother anyone, but we did have to keep the dogs from snapping the spicy flies. 

At this late date, queen bumbles have left the nest to hibernate over the winter and their non-queen daughters are living out their last days in the fields, frequently sleeping on flowers when its too cold or dark for them to fly. 

In the spring, the queens that survive will build new nests and hope to get a new brood of daughters going to help them create a full and healthy colony before hatching some males and new queens to start the process all over again. 

The clouded sulphur butterflies take advantage of the late bloomers, too. The white female above blends in with the white asters. 

Asters are lovely enough all by themselves, but knowing the important part they play in the survival of late feeding pollinators and migrating butterflies makes them even more special. 

I caught this bumblebee lifting off and heading over to taste a different flower. 

I hope you enjoyed this little field trip as much as I did. :)