Hummingbirds and swallowtails are not the only pollinators at Elmira Pond. The humble bumble bee is a mainstay of clover patches, fruit blossoms and hairy vetch.
Winding in a tumble of vines, stringers of fluted purple blossoms and small pea-pods, this European plant is not native. Ranchers often add it to feed nitrogen to pastures and farmers use it as a cover crop in between plantings. It's hearty but not noxious, as far as I know.
And the pollinators love it.
It does look striking with the white meadow daisies which seem to not attract pollinators. Why, I do not know. These are merely my casual observations. As long as the pastures and wild spaces attract and feed the pollinators, I know that my garden will benefit.
This is Day 4 of a photo and story challenge from Norah Colvin. Today I nominate author, photographer and entrepreneur, Ann Edall-Robson, to take up the challenge if she is so obliged to participate.
The rules of the Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge are:
1) Post a photo each day for five consecutive days.
2) Attach a story to the photo. It can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or a short paragraph. It’s entirely up to the individual.
3) Nominate another blogger to carry on the challenge. Your nominee is free to accept or decline the invitation. This is fun, not a command performance!
The purple is perfect for pollinators, Charli, and you are right: we need those pollinators to keep things right with the world. We are totally dependent upon the insect population. There'd be no plants, no us, without them. Thanks for reminding us of their importance, and with such a pretty picture too!
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