This is our first year planting foxglovebeardstongue. It's an early bloomer and has been so popular with all sorts of bees, bumblebees and bumblebee look-a likes.
"Can you imagine an old-time record player? The gramophone kind, with the little dog listening at the speaker horn? Each of the many flowers of the Foxglove Beardtongue look very much like that cone-shaped horn. And those flowers are sending a siren song to pollinators in your area! Who are these welcome guests? Bees, for starters! The most amusing bee-watching just might be the sight of a bumble bee wriggling her way into the depths of the frilly-edged florals–further and further until only the yellow- and black-striped bee behind is visible. The plant is considered to be crucially important to long-tongued bumble bees, several species of which are at risk of extinction.
The Foxglove Beardtongue is a completely different plant–a member of the Plantain family. It is not toxic, but was named “foxglove” because its trumpet-shaped flowers resemble a European foxglove. “Beardtongue” refers to one particular stamen of the five in the blossom. This stamen springs from a tuft of fuzz that resembles hair."
joyfulbutterfly.com
For the Record,
This da came in hot with increasing humidity. Busy day here. Now it's getting dark and thundering!
I retired from public school teaching after happily spending twenty eight years playing in Kindergarten. Now I fill my days watching cat antics, taking endless...
