Who Pollinates What, When?
Introduction
An ecologer like me may ask, How come there aint no bugs on this flower? These flowers are just like that singing puppy on the TV. “ O, There aint no bugs on me.” Yepper, but I like to see lots of bugs on the flowers, especially butterflies. Plus, taking the Lovely Druidess Rayetta into account, butterflies on the flowers make my life lots easier.
Abbreviated Life History of the Subject Flora
Casual observation indicates a plant that hardly ever has any diurnal pollinator bugs on it is the lovely silky evolvulus (Evolvulus sericeus). Lovely silky evolvulus flowers open shop in the morning as the temperature rises outside. Anon, as the temperature outside approaches too hot for man or sensible beast, the flowers open fully for business. By noontime, those flowers, sensibly, shut back down.
Methodology
Knowing all this I fetched forth a stool, plus the trusty C 5060, determined to bear the brunt of the Beelzebubberriffic heat while photographing all the interesting insects that turned up to pollinate the lovely silky evolvulus. The observation period occurred between ten thirty and eleven o’clock, Republic of Tejas time, on Day 174 of DY 1. What else I did, methodology wise, was sit there on the stool watching the blossoms intently for half an hour. I was pretty intent the whole time except for brief instances of distraction.
Results
Consequently, I saw one tiny caterpillar, a blue leaf hopper with purple stripes, a young grasshopper and several of Ray’s dipterans land on or near the lovely silky evolvulus herbage. None of this bunch went anywhere near a flower.
A small bee almost as big as a flower, landed on a flower, but only rested for an instant. A tiny true bug walked across a petal. Some little black Hymonepterans buzzed around, but never landed. A small black and red Hymenopteran or Dipteran, maybe, behaved similarly. At no time did any insect pollinate any flower, ever.
Conclusion
When thirty minutes was up I was hot, sweaty and aggravated. So I came inside to take advantage of the air conditioning afforded by the laboratory. Air conditioning is an essential component of report writing these days, so Red air-conditioned the laboratory.
There are bound to be some insects that pollinate lovely silky evolvulus. Perhaps, the thirty minute interval chosen for this study was too short or time sensitive. Perhaps the pollinators range in size from subatomic to lillipution, thus defying intensity of observation or careful scrutiny. Maybe the silky evolvulus pollinators are on holiday. Maybe, the observer scared off all the pollinators? Who the heck knows?
Aftermath
Crumby, did you figure out the pollinators on lovely silky Evolvulus?
Negatory, Rayetta. So far as I am aware, lovely silky Evolvulus has no pollinators whatever. Perhaps, lovely silky Evolvulus is parthenogenic.
Did you put that in the paper?
Negatory, Rayetta.
Two things Crumby. If you ever spell negatory again, I shall make your life a living hell. And second, guess what? I found a skipper pollinating Drummond’s ruellia. How about that?
Er. That’s swell Rayetta. Which skipper?
Which skipper is unknown. I was not sufficiently quick on the uptake to establish, which skipper. But it was large for a skipper and dark. Otherwise it looked like a regular skipper. So Crumby, I expect that you shall continue with your lovely silky Evolvulus study until you discover a pollinator. Correct?
I don’t know about that Rayetta. After all, the fickle Ogma plus the Mammonites are heating it up outside, insufferably.
Nevertheless, Crumby, you should persist. In fact, I insist that you persist.
All righty then, Rayetta.
Well, Crumby!
Now, Rayetta!
Yepper Crumby, now!
Mercy! Out I bounced into the terrible Beelzebubberriffic diurnal heat. The time was the height of day time. The cruel rays of fickle Ogma beat down on my noggin like boxing gloves. Pummelled mercilessly, I barely made it all the way out to the lovely silky evolvulus study area. Mercy! I am taking a terrible beating. Nearly prostrated by the boxing glove like pounding on my noggin I sat down hard upon my stool. Water, I cried out to my trainers and handlers. Squirt some water in my mouth. Rub my noggin with a sponge. Ogma has almost knocked me out. Ah! Yes, squirt water on my heaving bosoms. Yep. Squirt some of that water down my boxing trunks.
There I was, beaten to a pulp. My eyes, mere slits amid prodigious pulpy contusions where my regular eyes used to be. Cut me, cut me I cried out to my trusty trainer.
No, no, no Crumby. You may lose yer eyesight fer ever. It aint worth it.
Yes, trusty trainer. It shall be worth it. If only I may espy lovely silky evolvulus, one last time.
So that’s how I discovered that the lovely silky evolvulus flowers had already closed up for the day. Now I know that my allotted study time is approximately 9:30-11:00 AM.
Photolog
lovely silky evolvulus study area
lovely silky evolvulus awaiting pollinators
a rosy hued lovely silky evolvulus
An ecologer like me may ask, How come there aint no bugs on this flower? These flowers are just like that singing puppy on the TV. “ O, There aint no bugs on me.” Yepper, but I like to see lots of bugs on the flowers, especially butterflies. Plus, taking the Lovely Druidess Rayetta into account, butterflies on the flowers make my life lots easier.
Abbreviated Life History of the Subject Flora
Casual observation indicates a plant that hardly ever has any diurnal pollinator bugs on it is the lovely silky evolvulus (Evolvulus sericeus). Lovely silky evolvulus flowers open shop in the morning as the temperature rises outside. Anon, as the temperature outside approaches too hot for man or sensible beast, the flowers open fully for business. By noontime, those flowers, sensibly, shut back down.
Methodology
Knowing all this I fetched forth a stool, plus the trusty C 5060, determined to bear the brunt of the Beelzebubberriffic heat while photographing all the interesting insects that turned up to pollinate the lovely silky evolvulus. The observation period occurred between ten thirty and eleven o’clock, Republic of Tejas time, on Day 174 of DY 1. What else I did, methodology wise, was sit there on the stool watching the blossoms intently for half an hour. I was pretty intent the whole time except for brief instances of distraction.
Results
Consequently, I saw one tiny caterpillar, a blue leaf hopper with purple stripes, a young grasshopper and several of Ray’s dipterans land on or near the lovely silky evolvulus herbage. None of this bunch went anywhere near a flower.
A small bee almost as big as a flower, landed on a flower, but only rested for an instant. A tiny true bug walked across a petal. Some little black Hymonepterans buzzed around, but never landed. A small black and red Hymenopteran or Dipteran, maybe, behaved similarly. At no time did any insect pollinate any flower, ever.
Conclusion
When thirty minutes was up I was hot, sweaty and aggravated. So I came inside to take advantage of the air conditioning afforded by the laboratory. Air conditioning is an essential component of report writing these days, so Red air-conditioned the laboratory.
There are bound to be some insects that pollinate lovely silky evolvulus. Perhaps, the thirty minute interval chosen for this study was too short or time sensitive. Perhaps the pollinators range in size from subatomic to lillipution, thus defying intensity of observation or careful scrutiny. Maybe the silky evolvulus pollinators are on holiday. Maybe, the observer scared off all the pollinators? Who the heck knows?
Aftermath
Crumby, did you figure out the pollinators on lovely silky Evolvulus?
Negatory, Rayetta. So far as I am aware, lovely silky Evolvulus has no pollinators whatever. Perhaps, lovely silky Evolvulus is parthenogenic.
Did you put that in the paper?
Negatory, Rayetta.
Two things Crumby. If you ever spell negatory again, I shall make your life a living hell. And second, guess what? I found a skipper pollinating Drummond’s ruellia. How about that?
Er. That’s swell Rayetta. Which skipper?
Which skipper is unknown. I was not sufficiently quick on the uptake to establish, which skipper. But it was large for a skipper and dark. Otherwise it looked like a regular skipper. So Crumby, I expect that you shall continue with your lovely silky Evolvulus study until you discover a pollinator. Correct?
I don’t know about that Rayetta. After all, the fickle Ogma plus the Mammonites are heating it up outside, insufferably.
Nevertheless, Crumby, you should persist. In fact, I insist that you persist.
All righty then, Rayetta.
Well, Crumby!
Now, Rayetta!
Yepper Crumby, now!
Mercy! Out I bounced into the terrible Beelzebubberriffic diurnal heat. The time was the height of day time. The cruel rays of fickle Ogma beat down on my noggin like boxing gloves. Pummelled mercilessly, I barely made it all the way out to the lovely silky evolvulus study area. Mercy! I am taking a terrible beating. Nearly prostrated by the boxing glove like pounding on my noggin I sat down hard upon my stool. Water, I cried out to my trainers and handlers. Squirt some water in my mouth. Rub my noggin with a sponge. Ogma has almost knocked me out. Ah! Yes, squirt water on my heaving bosoms. Yep. Squirt some of that water down my boxing trunks.
There I was, beaten to a pulp. My eyes, mere slits amid prodigious pulpy contusions where my regular eyes used to be. Cut me, cut me I cried out to my trusty trainer.
No, no, no Crumby. You may lose yer eyesight fer ever. It aint worth it.
Yes, trusty trainer. It shall be worth it. If only I may espy lovely silky evolvulus, one last time.
So that’s how I discovered that the lovely silky evolvulus flowers had already closed up for the day. Now I know that my allotted study time is approximately 9:30-11:00 AM.
Photolog
lovely silky evolvulus study area
lovely silky evolvulus awaiting pollinators
a rosy hued lovely silky evolvulus
posted by ray pistrum at Tuesday, June 12, 2007
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