Believe it or not, I once had a job that required me sitting for hours amongst the flowers, notepad in hand, counting the number and type of pollinators making visits to a specific plant. I found it quite meditative, though it probably sounds more romantic than it really was once you factor in the summer heat and note that the sea of flowers were the spiny heads of the invasive plant star thistle.
Our garden here at ESLT on the other hand is a mix of vibrant colors composed of native plants and more ornamental varieties attracting nectivores (pollinators seeking the reward of nectar) and visitors of all varieties that I get to enjoy out my window (and on occasional breaks) on a daily basis. To get into the lingo a little bit, flowers adapted to be pollinated by insects are known as entomophilous (adapted to be pollinated by insects) while those specialized for birds are ornithophilous.
Here are a few photos of recent garden sightings.
Anyone recognize this little one?
Our garden is open to our members, as well as the general public, and we welcome you all to come in and take a look around sometime. Hope to see you soon.
Aaron