The Carnivorous Plant FAQ Field Trip Report -

Darlingtonia pollination studies in 2006

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A surprise:
This year, on one of my trips to the site to advance a set of experiments, I was working with the plants when I observed something surprising. A European honeybee (Apis mellifera) entered a Darlingtonia flower! I was surprised--first, to see a honeybee at the site, and second to see it actually enter a flower! Stephen Davis, who had joined me for this trip, saw the bee enter the flower too!

I clumsily captured and killed the bee for further study. And then, to my continued surprise, saw more honeybees working the flower. Stephen jumped into action with his digital film camera, while I used my digital Pentax SLR. We spent quite a while documenting honeybees entering flowers, and caught several in mesh bags for later study.

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Revised: October 2007
©Barry Rice, 2005