Which pollinators have you seen in your garden today?

[Meadowlark]

I've been trying to sharpen my ID skills re bumblebees (lacking) and coming to the conclusion that the American Bumblebee is by far the most common here and secondary carpenter bumblebees.

I have not seen the "Black and Gold" but have seen the "Brown-belted bumblebee".

This American Bumblebee is about the only pollinator that visits the daylilies here, for some reason. This one is very large.

 

[Meadowlark]

Not a lot of action today from the pollinators

, curiously. However, the American Lady was busy about "her" business.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

false milkweed bug

Both of these bees are possibly types of furrow bees

 

[Meadowlark]

First appearance here for one of the most revered pollinators in all of Texas...the Mason Bee.

They are considered exceptional pollinators visiting more flowers per minute than honeybees and carrying pollen on their abdomen, making them extremely efficient...

This one working on the Texas Lilac.

 

[Meadowlark]

The painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) is one of the most widespread and remarkable butterflies on Earth, known for its striking orange‑black pattern and astonishing long‑distance migrations. It appears on every continent except Australia and Antarctica, making it one of the most cosmopolitan butterfly species.

Spotted today working on zinnias...

 

[Meadowlark]

These bees are difficult to ID. A large all black bee working on Texas Lilac seen today seems best fits the Large Carpentar bee ID...

Large Carpenter Bees
Genus Xylocopa

Large carpenter bees are essential pollinators of tomatoes, eggplants and peppers – crops that cannot be pollinated by honey bees. Plants in the tomato family require vibratile or “buzz "pollination, a skill that large carpenter bees possess -- that is, they vibrate their flight muscles while grabbing hold of flowers, in order to shake pollen from their anthers. Large carpenter bees' size and attendant ability to carry prodigious pollen loads also make them highly effective crop pollinators.

 

[Meadowlark]

 

[Meadowlark]

Unable to ID this one...possibly a skipper maybe a moth.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Unable to ID this one...possibly a skipper maybe a moth.

View attachment 114964

Definitely a skipper. Couldn't tell you what species though.

 

[Meadowlark]

After a couple days of rain, some butterflies returned today, but fewer in number. I wonder where they go in rainstorms?

The Giant Swallowtail on Garden Phlox

The American Lady on Zinnias...

 

[JBtheExplorer]

 

[Meadowlark]

Brown Belted Bumblebee and Large Carpenter Bee working hard on Texas Lilac today

 

[Meadowlark]

The Tiger Swallowtail takes your breath away. Often, I see its huge shadow before actually seeing the insect. Today, it was pretty photo cooperative...

Working on Texas Lilac together with Bumblebee..

Pollinating w/garden corn in background...

 

[Meadowlark]

The Palamedes Swallowtail is a frequent and always welcome visitor to Meadowlark gardens. Also called the laurel swallowtail, it is native to East Texas, the southeastern United States, and extends into northeastern Mexico. It thrives in cypress swamps, bay forests, and evergreen swamp forests.

Although not as physically imposing as some of its cousins, it is nonetheless highly noticeable in the garden.

This one is working on Zinnias and selecting which one to get next.