Honey Bee on Knapweed (Brown?)
In late July, I photographed honey bees on this knapweed which covered a pasture in a nearby county. I had been pulling up this alien plant where I have found it so now I am rethinking that because this plant seems to provide a good source of nectar and pollen. After my bee sighting, I went up to our pasture (about 3 years since it has been brushhogged). It took awhile but I did find a few honey bees on the knapweed but not on the brown-eyed susans and Queen-Anne's Lace that were also there.
In nearby Blacksburg, I saw honey bees on Russian Sage (and earlier in the summer on lavender) which prompted me to buy a couple of the Russian sage plants at the local Home Depot. While I was there, I noticed honey bees on purple coneflower, yellow jackets on penta flowers, and flies on another flowering plant. It's wierd that the bees have changed the way I garden. I think about what my bees might like to have!
In front of my dog vet's office, I saw honey bees on an unfamiliar shrub while they seemed to ignore all the other flowers in his great garden. When I went back to pick up my dog, the vet handed me two pots with cuttings from the shrub and the name: Blue Mist BlueBeard.
Blue Mist Bluebeard (Caryopteris clandonensis)
This shrub also is not native but does not look like it is invasive either so I think I can plant it in my yard. Now that the weather is finally sunny and not so hot today, I will go out and look for more honey bees.
