Posts Tagged: Calandrinia grandiflora

In the Pink

Thunder boomed across the garden.

The carpenter bee (Xylocopata tabaniformis orpifex) meant business.

She headed straight for the slowly opening rock purslane  (Calandrinia grandiflora). Never mind that the petals hadn't quite unfolded.

Tackling the tiny pink blossom, she sipped her fill of nectar, and then, with another thunderous roar, vanished.

No wonder large, loud carpenter bees scare little children. 

Carpenter Bee

CARPENTER BEE nectars a rock purslane. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Pollen-Covered Carpenter Bee

POLLEN-COVERED carpenter bee takes ownership of a rock purslane. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Like a Rock

The rock purslane (Calandrinia grandiflora) attracts its share of insects.

This morning the brilliant magenta blossoms drew honey bees, carpenter bees and hover flies. 

As a hover fly (aka syrphid fly or flower fly) gathered nectar, a spider crawled up a leaf of the succulent, presumably to check out the best place to weave a web.

The rock purslane is drought-tolerant and a good plant for xeroscaping.

And perfect for attracting pollinators--and an occasional spider.

Rock purslane

ROCK PURSLANE (Calandrinia grandiflora) opens in the morning sun. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Hover fly

HOVER FLY is drawn to the nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Spider

SPIDER crawls up the leaf of the rock purslane, probably scouting for the best place to build a web. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Visitor in the Garden

The rain and wind took turns destroying the flowers in our garden last Sunday in a siege not unlike a scene from The Wrestler.

The rock purslane (Calandrinia grandiflora) took a beating, but like Mickey Rourke, it will return. 

Last year the blossoms drew honey bees, native bees and hover flies--and, one spotted cucumber beetle.

The blossoms were simply gorgeous.  With the warmth of the morning sun, the magenta petals peeked open and then unfolded to the tune of Vivaldi's Spring. Or maybe it just seemed like it.

This is a perennial that welcomes all visitors. "When you're here, you're family." Roll out the magenta carpet. No guest list. No engraved invitation. No RSVP. 

And no gift for the hostess.

The visitors ARE the gift.

Visitor in the garden

This little critter, probably a native bee, seems to be glaring at the photographer. The flower is a rock purslane (Calandrinia grandiflora). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Heaven Can Wait

They danced in it, rolled in it, and bathed in it.

The honey bees just couldn’t get enough of the rock purslane (Calandrinia grandiflora). 

Last week when we visited Vacaville’s El Rancho Nursery and Landscaping. nursery, owned by Ray and Maria Lopez,  it was like a free-for-all at the French Laundry. The bees clustered around the rock purslane flowers, waiting inpatiently for them to open. No sign read  "Closed" but some of the magenta flowers had not yet unfolded.  No matter. A robost honey bee tried to slip inside. What do you mean, I'm too big?

Nearby, two other bees, sisters in honeyhood, shared the same flower as another honey bee tumbled happily out of her flower and made a beeline for the next one. 

 

Ernesto Sandoval, curator of the College of Biological Sciences Greenhouses at UC Davis and Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis, say that bees love Calandrinia grandiflora. The plant, native to Chile, blooms here in late summer and early fall.

 

"It has has bright red-orange pollen that honey bees love," Thorp said.

They do, indeed.

What do you mean, I'm too big?

A honey bee can't wait for the Calandrinia grandiflora to open. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Sharing

Two honey bees, packed with red pollen, share the same flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Flight of the honey bee

A honey bee exits the rock purslane flower and heads for another one. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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