Master Gardeners of Ventura County
University of California
Master Gardeners of Ventura County

Posts Tagged: phacelia

A Bumble Bee Ballet

Ever watched a bumble bee ballet? Bumble bees may look clumsy in flight, but they get the job done. We recently marveled at the yellow-faced bumble bees, Bombus vosnesenskii, foraging on lacy...

A yellow-faced bumble bees, Bombus vosnesenskii, heads for Phacelia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A yellow-faced bumble bees, Bombus vosnesenskii, heads for Phacelia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A yellow-faced bumble bees, Bombus vosnesenskii, heads for Phacelia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Packing red pollen, this yellow-faced bumble bee targets another  Phacelia blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Packing red pollen, this yellow-faced bumble bee targets another Phacelia blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Packing red pollen, this yellow-faced bumble bee targets another Phacelia blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Buzzing and never missing a beat, this bumble bee is a study in movement. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Buzzing and never missing a beat, this bumble bee is a study in movement. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Buzzing and never missing a beat, this bumble bee is a study in movement. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A bumble bee ballet ends where another one begins. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A bumble bee ballet ends where another one begins. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A bumble bee ballet ends where another one begins. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Friday, April 1, 2022 at 3:48 PM
Focus Area Tags: Economic Development, Environment, Innovation, Yard & Garden

A Hidden Treasure at UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day

Talk about those tenacious tidy tips. And those picture-perfect phacelias. When you attend the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day on Saturday, Feb. 15, you'll see these California natives blooming in the Biological Orchard and Gardens (BOG), a...

A honey bee foraging on a desert bell, Phacelia campanularia,  an annual herb that is native to California. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee foraging on a desert bell, Phacelia campanularia, an annual herb that is native to California. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee foraging on a desert bell, Phacelia campanularia, an annual herb that is native to California. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A sign defines the Biological Orchard and Gardens (BOG). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A sign defines the Biological Orchard and Gardens (BOG). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A sign defines the Biological Orchard and Gardens (BOG). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Wednesday, February 12, 2020 at 4:17 PM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Economic Development, Environment, Family, Health, Innovation, Natural Resources

Bumble Bees: Pollen Power in the Phacelia

Talk about pollen! The bumble bees, Bombus vandykei (as identified by Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis), were buzzing all over the Phacelia last week on the central campus. One bumble...

It's mine--move away! Two bumble bees, species Bombus vandykei, seek the same Phacelia blossom on the UC Davis central campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
It's mine--move away! Two bumble bees, species Bombus vandykei, seek the same Phacelia blossom on the UC Davis central campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

It's mine--move away! Two bumble bees, species Bombus vandykei, seek the same Phacelia blossom on the UC Davis central campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Check out the heavy load of pollen on this bumble bee, Bombus vandykei. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Check out the heavy load of pollen on this bumble bee, Bombus vandykei. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Check out the heavy load of pollen on this bumble bee, Bombus vandykei. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Phacelia is a plant that native bees, including this native bumble bee, Bombus vandykei, love. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Phacelia is a plant that native bees, including this native bumble bee, Bombus vandykei, love. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Phacelia is a plant that native bees, including this native bumble bee, Bombus vandykei, love. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Saddle bags of pure gold? No, golden pollen carried by the Bombus vandykei. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Saddle bags of pure gold? No, golden pollen carried by the Bombus vandykei. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Saddle bags of pure gold? No, golden pollen carried by the Bombus vandykei. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 5:10 PM
Tags: Bombus vandykei (4), golden pollen (1), Phacelia (5), Robbin Thorp (287), UC Davis (323)

Going Native

The first thing you notice when you walk up to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis, are the natives. Native plants, that is. California golden poppies and phacelia are among the plants sharing the...

Bumble bee, Bombus vandykei,  foraging on phacelia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bumble bee, Bombus vandykei, foraging on phacelia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bumble bee, Bombus vandykei, foraging on phacelia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Side view of bumble bee, Bombus vandykei. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Side view of bumble bee, Bombus vandykei. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Side view of bumble bee, Bombus vandykei. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Competition for the phacelia! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Competition for the phacelia! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Competition for the phacelia! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 11:01 PM

A Honey of a Plant

It's not the prettiest of plants.It looks somewhat like a thistle.No matter. The honey bees love it.Lacy phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia), a leggy three-foot plant with clusters of light blue to purple flowers, attracts not only honey bees but syrphid...

Aged Bee
Aged Bee

AGED BEE forages among the blossoms of the lacy phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia). This is considered one of the top 20 honey-producing flowers. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tongue Extended
Tongue Extended

TONGUE EXTENDED, this aged honey bee gathers nectar from the lacy phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Up, Up and Away
Up, Up and Away

TAKING FLIGHT, the honey bee leaves the lacy phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) to return to her hive. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garrvey)

Posted on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at 9:21 PM

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