When I found this public domain photograph, I just couldn’t resist.
Do you recognize these seeds?
Edit:Â See answer post for photograph credits.
Month: March 2012 (Page 3 of 5)
Our mystery seeds from last week were from the spiny sowthistle, Sonchus asper.
The seeds come from these fluffy clusters that may resemble dandelion seed heads.
The yellow clusters of ray flowers also look quite a bit like dandelion flowers.
Sowthistles are much more upright than dandelions, however, because they have a distinct stem.
The leaves of the spiny sowthistle have “prickles” and the leaves of sowthistles wrap around the stem at the bases.
Sow thistles do what weeds do best.
They can make and spread a lot of seeds in a short period of time.
Do sowthistles grow where you live?
Aphids make most gardeners cringe, but if you look deeply, they are actually quite fascinating.
Take these aphids on a sunflower. You might not be able to see it in this lower resolution version, but I found an aphid giving birth, an aphid with a baby on its back and a winged aphid in this photograph.
Do you see the tiny wasp? She is laying her eggs in aphids, which will cause the aphids to turn into mummies.
In this view you can see some of them have their mouthparts stuck into the plant. What’s that silvery thing?
Although many people mistake theses insects for honey bees, this one is actually a fly. In fact it is a flower or hover fly, genus Eristalis.
Why is it here? The adult fly may have been feeding on nectar and pollen from the flower or it may have been drinking honeydew left behind by the aphids. It also may have been up to no good as far as the aphids are concerned, because it may have been laying eggs nearby. The larvae of many types of flower flies are predators of aphids.
So many little dramas right under our noses.
For more information, see Roberta Gibson Writes.