This very strange seed pod was given to us by someone who knew we liked plants. (Yes, this is from a plant!)
Have you ever seen one before? Do you know what the plant is?
Edit;Â The answer is now posted.
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The pretty seeds from last week’s mystery…
grow into into pretty flowers.
African daisies, Dimorphotheca aurantiaca, are annuals that were originally from South Africa. but are now grown throughout the Southwest.
The flowers vary in color from orange to yellow to almost white. They are very easy to grow, and once you plant them, they readily reseed and spread.
And that’s the problem. If African daisies escape from urban landscapes, they can grow wild, crowding out native plants and interfering with natural habitats.
We are slowly converting our patch into native species like desert marigolds, poppies and penstemons by pulling the flowers before they set seed. It is a tedious process, but we are making progress.
By the way, there are also a couple of other species of flowers that go by the common name African daisy.
For more information about this species, see the Arizona Master Gardener website.
Have you ever seen an African daisy?
Our penstemons have been flowering.
Nectar from these flowers are a favorite food of hummingbirds and all sorts of bees.
A few days ago I also noticed some eggs on the flower petals.
They are the eggs of the cabbage looper moth. We’ve seen them in the yard before.
What is that sliver-like thing that is walking over the eggs?
It is a thrips!
Different species of thrips feed on a wide variety of items, including flower pollen and insect eggs. I’m not sure whether this one was feeding or not.
In any case, the eggs had all disappeared the next day. They may have hatched or they may have been eaten.
Who knew so much drama could occur within a single flower?
Do penstemons grow where you live? Are they blooming yet?
For more information, see Roberta Gibson Writes.