🌸🪰 BUZZ & BLOOM: Virginia Waterleaf & Bee Flies 🌿
Deep in the spring woodland, Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum) produces clusters of delicate white to lavender flowers—and if you stop to watch, you may discover some fascinating visitors.
Among them are bee flies (family Bombyliidae). 🪰🐝
With fuzzy bodies and buzzing flight, bee flies can easily be mistaken for bees. Many species even hover near flowers while extending a remarkably long proboscis to reach nectar.
🌸 THE BLOOM
Virginia Waterleaf is a native woodland wildflower that thrives in rich, moist soils beneath deciduous trees. Its spring flowers provide nectar and pollen when many insects are becoming increasingly active after winter.
🪰 THE BUZZ
Adult bee flies visit flowers for nectar and can contribute to pollination as they travel from bloom to bloom. But their life cycle has a surprising twist: the larvae of many species are parasitoids of other insects, including solitary bees and wasps.
🌿 THE CONNECTION
Virginia Waterleaf reminds us that pollinator habitat isn’t limited to sunny meadows and gardens.
Woodlands buzz, too.
Native woodland wildflowers provide another layer of the continuous sequence of blooms that supports insects throughout the growing season.
So when Virginia Waterleaf blooms, take a closer look at what’s visiting.
That fuzzy little “bee” hovering nearby might not be a bee at all!
🌸 Plant the bloom. Watch the buzz. Discover the connection.
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