Pardon My (Gold) Dust

Sep 29, 2011

A gold rush of sorts.

When the female Valley carpenter bees forage among the passion flowers  (Passiflora), they turn from solid black to a mixture of gold and black.

The pollen on their head, thorax and abdomen stands out like magical gold dust, as if sprinkled by the Good Fairy.

On a recent photo expedition in west Vacaville, we watched Gulf Fritillary butterflies (Agraulis vanilla) colonize a passionflower vine (Passiflora incaranata). Meanwhile, these huge Valley carpenter bees buzzed in and out of the purple-centered white flowers. 

A golden opportunity, to be sure.


By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Author - Communications specialist

Attached Images:

Female Valley carpenter bee, caught in flight, dusted with gold pollen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Female Valley carpenter bee, caught in flight, dusted with gold pollen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Female Valley carpenter bee visiting a passion flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Female Valley carpenter bee visiting a passion flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Gold alert! A female Valley carpenter bee heads toward a passion flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Gold alert! A female Valley carpenter bee heads toward a passion flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)