Posts Tagged: hummingbird

Brush With a Bee and a Hummer

A brush with a honey bee...

A brush with a hummingbird...

When we visited the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden recently, honey bees were nectaring the mutton bird sedge (Carex trifeda), a New Zealand native known for its upright floral spikes that resemble golden bottle brushes.

Indeed, the mutton bird sedge reminds us of the red bottlebrush tree (Callistemon spp.), a native of nearby Australia.

Both attract their share of nectar lovers.

Bee and Mutton Bird Sedge

HONEY BEE nectaring a mutton bird sedge (Carex trifeda) at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Red Bottlebrush

HUMMINGBIRDS are attracted to the red bottlebrush. Like the mutton bird sedge (top photo), the floral spikes resemble bottle brushes. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Friday, December 4, 2009 at 6:16 PM

Comments: 0

Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey

Tags: bottle brush (1), honey bee (1), hummingbird (1), mutton bird sedge (1)