Life and death among the flowers
Spider feeding on moth
When I walked through the garden this morning, I could smell the faint, spicy scent of the Mexican plum blossoms. Sparrows and wrens sang in the trees, and one sparrow anxiously kept an eye on me as I neared the birdhouse in which it has built a nest. Just me and the birds this morning, I thought.
But the plum blossoms begged for macro photos, so I climbed on a stepstool to get a closer view. That’s when I became aware that the tree was buzzing and crawling with insects, plus a few arachnids. It’s easy for us humans to forget just how many insects there are in the garden all the time, except when we’re bothered by a few pesky ones like mosquitoes or wasps.
Honeybees were weaving from flower to flower, filling the bulging pollen baskets they carry on their legs. These kinds of bees never bother me, though they shy away if I get too close with my camera.
Another bee burrowing into a flower
Tiny flies were also in attendance, attracted to the flowers like the bees.
Death lurked among the flowers for some, like the moth in the photo at the top of the page. I spotted it dangling beneath a flower and was puzzled by its position for a moment before I saw the camouflaged spider that gripped it in its fangs. Visiting the blossoms at night, the moth must have become easy prey for the waiting spider.
Looking at the tree from just a few steps back, you’d never guess all the insect drama going on among the flowers.
When I woke up this morning and looked out the window from my bed, my big Mexican plum was covered in blossoms. It’s taken about a ten days since the first one opened for it to be in full bloom. The two smaller ones behind it haven’t started yet but their buds are swelling.
I think I have two different varieties. The flowers on the big one (from Gardens) are like yours, flushed pink at the throat. The other two (from Barton Springs Nursery) usually flower a little later and the flowers are green at the throat.
I’ve linked to a post which shows the difference.
I’d never describe the scent of Mexican plums as faint or spicy. I think it’s overwhelmingly sweet–and I’m one of those rare people who likes the scent of paperwhites! I always smell it before I see the flowers. Years ago, my response was, pee-yoo! But now it excites me because I know it means spring is here!
Interesting. They sure don’t smell that sweet to me. I wonder if there’s a difference between our trees or if my sniffer is just off. I have been recovering from a cold . . . —Pam
Hi Pam,
Your blog makes me homesick. I’ve been away from Austin for 10 years but love to see what people are doing. For some the first signs of Spring are crocus or daffodils, but for me it’s always the pink blossoms of the plum trees. Nice photos!
Cheers,
Patrick – I Heart Gardening
Thanks, Patrick. For me spring means redbuds and Texas mountain laurels, though they bloom a little later than the plums. —Pam
Wow, what great pictures. We still have a ways to go before spring shows up here in NJ but in the meantime, I can get some satisfaction by knowing that spring has arrived somewhere else. Thanks!
Thanks for dropping by, Anthony. I’ll look forward to seeing your New Jersey spring photos in a few weeks. —Pam
Ah blossom and honey bees, what a great combination they make. Lovely pictures Pam. I think that now I can _really_ believe that Spring is on its way.
BTW That spider-moth thingy: ewwwwwwwwww. Not something for the faint of heart. 😉
What a great post! It’s true..there’s so much drama going on in our gardens, and we only get to witness it if we really, really look. And, I’m with Yolanda….Ewwwwwwww. I appreciate spiders, but I’m terrified of them 🙂
Colleen and Yolanda E., I thought the spider picture would be provocative, which is why I led my post with it. I don’t love spiders either, so it even grossed me out a little. Thanks for your comments! —Pam
There is an amazing amount of activity that goes on in our gardens when we do not go out of our way to put a stop to it. Mass bloom always draws a large crowd of the hungry.
Predators like the spider mean there will be fewer caterpillars to defoliate the new leaves. That deserves applause not Ewwww.
Hurray for Spiders!
Clap, clap! (from a distance) —Pam
What great pictures! I am a big spider fan, so I looked for him in the first picture but can’t seem to suss him out. It sure does look like the moth is hanging from the tree like a cluster of berries, though.
Oh wait…he’s almost clear! I was looking for a black or brown spider, so that’s why I didn’t see him. As soon as I “submitted comment” and the picture flashed to the top of the screen, though, he was right there.
Yes, it blends in with the pale flowers. It looks like a crab spider to me, though I’m not sure. —Pam
Those insect pictures are amazing.
Thanks, R. —Pam
Great post – love the crab spider and bee pics. Spring can’t get here soon enough.
Yes, spring is nice, spiders and all. —Pam