Photography Wild Delmarva on 19 Jul 2009 09:04 am
The Pollinator
Covered with tiny specks of pollen, a Hibiscus Bee (which looks very similar to a Bumblebee) works the colorful bloom of a Crimson-eyed Rosemallow this morning. Also know as a Swamp Rose, this perennial Hibiscus with six inch flowers is common on Delmarva’s wetlands.
(Thanks to Matt Sarver for identifying the Hibiscus Bee!)
Photograph by Kevin Fleming
on 23 Jul 2009 at 11:01 pm 1.Matt Sarver said …
Hey Kevin –
That’s actually not a bumble bee (Bombus), but a similar-looking species from a different tribe that specializes on Hibiscus pollen, called Ptilothrix bombiformis. See http://bugguide.net/node/view/142955 Jeff and were just checking some of these guys out at Prime Hook the other day. Very cool bees – and a nice pic.