View from above and below

  

As part of my job, I sometimes receive requests from researchers to check on the status of local species, e.g., whether a plant is flowering now or going to seed.  Recently there was an inquiry about an interesting parasitic plant, California Orobanche (Aphyllon californicum).

I couldn't find any at first, but I didn't give up, and in the end I found a few orobanche in flower.  

From above (first photo) the plant is intriguing, but it gets even more interesting if you lie down for a side view:

 

 

And when you look even closer, there are lots (lots!) of glandular hairs  all over the petals.  Look for the tiny hairs with golden tips:

 

 

 

I read that the glandular hairs might be protective against herbivores or pathogens, but it sounds like there are other possible functions, too. 

Worth the wait

This is a follow-up to the Orobanche post on 16 August 2013.  I had wondered about the yellow linings on the lower flower petals and whether they might serve as a visual cue for pollinators. 

Well, the next day I happened to be walking by the Orobanche again.  Lewis had suggested that it would be fun to sit nearby and watch to see which pollinators visit these flowers.  I was on my way to a meeting, but I decided to give it 5 minutes.

I waited 4 minutes, and no insects had come to the flowers.  Why not?  They seemed so perfect — wide open and ready for visitors.  Should I leave?  It had been 4 minutes already without any signs of activity.  But I had told myself that I would watch for 5 minutes.  So I gave it another minute.

With about 30 seconds to go, a small bee flew in!  It dove into one flower very quickly, so I waited with camera poised until it appeared (see below).  You can see it emerging head-first, crawling along the yellow nectar guides.

 

It then flew to at least 3 more Orobanche flowers.  Because of its small size and unpredictable flight pattern the bee was difficult to photograph.  These are the best images I have for now.  I'll be sending the pictures out for help with an identification of the bee.

A view from above:

 

On the way to another flower (not such a bad place to bee!):

 

Emerging from the "tube":

 

Taking off:

 

They're fuzzy!

Today I tried to photograph Point Reyes Salty Bird's-Beak (Chloropyron maritimum ssp. palustre) in the salt marsh.  [That has to be one of the longest common names for a plant on Bodega Head.  Can you think of a longer one?]  

I didn't end up with great pictures, so I'll have to try again.  But I did learn a couple of interesting things about this wildflower when reviewing the pictures.

Here's one image that shows a cluster of flowers.  Can you see the small hole at the top of the flower in the center of the picture?

 

The next photo shows another view, this time looking down at the flowers from above.  You can still see that tiny hole (lower left flower). 

 

I'm wondering if the hole was made by an insect boring into the flower?

And although I've always liked Point Reyes Salty Bird's-beak, and I make a point to look for it flowering every year, I hadn't realized the flowers were quite so fuzzy!  (The botanical term is puberulent.) 

Here's a close-up of the dense hairs on an individual flower:

 

If you encounter this species, tread carefully, as this native annual is relatively rare.