This alyssum has been at it for a while. You can see the seed pods to the left and right of that bunch of blossoms that the bee is visiting. Also in the lower right corner. Good shot of the bee and her wings – those veins. This plant is classified as an annual, and it is. But it is a little like a perennial in that it keeps showing up each year – it seeds itself (as evidenced by this shot). It doesn’t wander much, but the color (owing to the bees’ good work) can morph through time.
We generally end up planting a flat or two here and there, but there’s always a great crop of volunteers there and here, too. This one is kind of tricky for bees because sometimes it’s just bare…and on other days it’s pulsing with bees. With some plants, I can kind of tell where in the pollen cycle they are and predict rightly when the bees will be on it. Haven’t really figured this one out – and it’s somewhat strange because each plant – each bunch – usually has so many blossoms that some ought to be throwing pollen. But it seems an all-or-nothing thing for the bees.
