Rabbitbrush is among the last of the prairie plants to bloom. The bushes push through until the very end of summer before putting forth their array of yellow flowers.
When they do bloom, they display
in spectacular abundance. Some shoulders
along the road to my house blush entirely yellow at the peak of the rabbitbrush
bloom.
But the most interesting aspect
of the bloom is the reaction of insects.
Ravenous insects of all brands swarm the brush once they bloom. Every six-legged thing in the neighborhood
seems obsessed with the blossoms. If you
approach a rabbitbrush on a warm, calm day during the bloom, you will find,
honeybees, bumble bees, flies, all manner of wasps, ants, beetles, and even
moths browsing through the flowers. At
times, a halo of winged insects will hover about the brush.
Everyone recognizes this is
summer’s final bounty.
In just the last few days, the local rabbitbrush started putting forth blossoms wholesale. Yesterday, I spent a few minutes watching insects at work on a large bush at the front of my home. I have posted a few images from my time there.
Rabbitbrush at the Front of my
House
A Bee at Work
A Moth at Work
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