Velvet Groundsel, Lisbon, Portugal, Mon Feb 12 2024

Field trip photos

Velvet groundsel is native to Central America but it flourishes in Lisbon's parks. The visitors to its flowers are numerous and native.

Author's photos

In mid afternoon the yellow flowered bushes receive direct sunlight. Western honey bees are everywhere, too numerous to count. Drone flies and red admirals are also frequent visitors.

There is a contingent of large carpenter bees which can also be seen hovering around the dead branches and hollow trunks of Judas trees and European hackberries. They have been here every year at this time since I first visited eight years ago.

Author's photos

The pollen basket on the hind legs of female western honey bees are clearly visible.

Corbicula

The pollen basket or corbicula (plural corbiculae) is part of the tibia on the hind legs of the female of certain species of bees. They use the structure in harvesting pollen and carrying it to the nest or hive where it is used as food by the colony.

The bushes are almost three metres in height, above average for the species. The leaves are the size of a hand and the inflorescences are formed by panicles similar in size to the leaves but slightly convex.

Inflorescence

Group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem composed of a main branch or complicated arrangement of branches.

Panicle

A much-branched inflorescence, often of racemes. It may have determinate or indeterminate growth. Typical of grasses such as oat.

The flowers do not attract everyone. Speckled woods - the most abundant butterfly in the park - appear to ignore them and I observed one large white pass over the bushes and then return without showing any interest. I have observed both of these species on plants with white flowers.

Carotenoid

Yellow, orange, and red organic pigments that are produced by plants and algae, as well as several bacteria, archaea, and fungi.

The yellow colouring of groundsel flowers is due to carotenoids.

Author's photos