Pollen Power

Apr 21, 2010

Talk about pollen power.

When honey bees forage among the bird’s eyes, they're a delight to see. They dive into the yellow-throated lavender flowers and emerge covered with a blue-gray pollen. 

Bird’s eyes (Gilia tricolor) is a native California wildflower common in the Central Valley and surrounding mountain ranges and foothills. 

If you look behind the Sciences Laboratory Building (near Briggs Hall) on the University of California, Davis campus, you'll see a thriving wildflower patch filled with bird's eyes, tidy tips, rock purslane, salvia and desert bluebells.

You'll see honey bees, hover flies, lady bugs and carpenter bees.

It's a bird's eye view for the bees. Or maybe a bee's eye view.


By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Author - Communications specialist

Attached Images:

A HONEY BEE forages among the bird's eyes (Gilia tricolor) on the UC Davis campus.  This is a native California wildflower common in the Central Valley. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey Bee

BOTTOMS UP--A honey bee dives in the tubular blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bottoms Up

COVERED WITH POLLEN, a honey bee emerges from the bird's eye blossom. She'll take the pollen back to her hive. It's good protein for the brood. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Covered with Pollen