- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Published on: December 4, 2009
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.
![HONEY BEE nectaring a mutton bird sedge (Carex trifeda) at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) HONEY BEE nectaring a mutton bird sedge (Carex trifeda) at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/bugsquad/blogfiles/2894.jpg)
Bee and Mutton Bird Sedge
![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) 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)](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/bugsquad/blogfiles/2895.jpg)
Red Bottlebrush
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