Golf Nut Planet

Musings on Life, the Universe and Everything

  • About the Golf Nut

Astounding Botanical Observation This Morning

by Dr. Dennis Clark Leave a Comment

Never in my half-century of studying plants have I seen what I saw on this morning’s dog walk. Bees were visiting and collecting pollen from bermuda grass! These must be desperate times for bees.

Bermuda flowers are not showy – no petals, no sepals. Most people wouldn’t even notice them. They have no nectar. When they bloom they release pollen grains that are so small and light that they get blown around in a light breeze. (Not a surprise to allergy sufferers, right?) They are supposed to be wind-pollinated. Bees are supposed to visit pretty flowers that have something to offer.

This is what I learned in school, so it must be true. This is what I taught for decades, so it must be true. This is what I wrote in my textbook, so it must be true.

Bees have apparently not read about what they are supposed to do. So, in the absence of standard bee-pollinated flowers during the dog days of August in Arizona, they adapt to whatever is there. In the immortal words of Commander Spock, “Fascinating.”

Isn’t Mother Nature grand? She thumbs her nose at human knowledge about her.

I think I’ll go get another cup of coffee and go outside and watch the pollination show. And be grateful that my neighbor hasn’t mowed his lawn in so long that his bermuda went into full flowering. Where would those poor bees have gone without him?

bermuda grass with bee

Filed Under: Everyday Living

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Here’s Jack! Going, going, (nearly) gone
  • Tires Don’t Just Blow Out Anymore – They Disintegrate
  • The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything?
  • Naming My New ‘COVID-Do’
  • Ignorance by the Moron in Chief – A New Low?
  • Mad Scientist Invents New Sausage?
  • Our Beloved Little Elsa, 2013-2018
  • My Anti-Intervention Birthday
  • Turning 70 – Awesome!
  • Got a Fun Christmas Gift – My Very Own Big Boss Oil-Less Fryer
  • Thoughts on Veterans Day 2017
  • Spurge – Most Annoying Summertime Weed
  • What is Scarier Than a Stephen King Novel?
  • New Neighborhood Weed for Depressed Mice
  • Hey, Fellow Old Golfers: How to Hit a 300-Yard Drive
  • Adventures in DIY Furniture Assembly
  • GASP! Pill Bugs Are Not Really BUGS!
  • For Golfers Who Don’t Yet Have Everything
  • Issues That Politicians Are Afraid To Talk About
  • Battling with Russian Hackers

Recent Comments

  • The Golf Nut on Cheap Imports Getting Really Annoying
  • Brian on Cheap Imports Getting Really Annoying
  • The Golf Nut on Our Beloved Little Elsa, 2013-2018
  • Kim S Carlson on Our Beloved Little Elsa, 2013-2018
  • The Golf Nut on Our Beloved Little Elsa, 2013-2018
  • Belinda on Our Beloved Little Elsa, 2013-2018
  • The Golf Nut on My Anti-Intervention Birthday
  • Brent on My Anti-Intervention Birthday
  • The Golf Nut on Turning 70 – Awesome!
  • Keithmayberry on Turning 70 – Awesome!
  • The Golf Nut on Spurge – Most Annoying Summertime Weed
  • James Gielow on Spurge – Most Annoying Summertime Weed
  • The Golf Nut on Battling with Russian Hackers
  • Gary Law on Battling with Russian Hackers
  • Dennis on Cheap Imports Getting Really Annoying

Copyright © 2023 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in