Spring is here, and so are the yellow blooms in my garden.
The color yellow seems to show much earlier than the other colors in the garden, like the first triumph of the season.
Did you know that a flower’s pigments help to attract possible pollinators, such as honeybees. There are two major classes of flower pigments: carotenoids and flavonoids. Carotenoids include carotene pigments (which produce yellow, orange and red colors). Flavonoids include anthocyanin pigments (which produce red, purple, magenta and blue colors).
So why yellow---The honeybees are emerging from their winter sleep and are out trying to find the first pollen of the year to feed on. The bees cannot see red, and prefer the colors yellow and blue. So these caroteniod flowers provide the perfect snack. We just have to make an effort to keep these flowers in our gardens- most are considered weeds--
So this Spring when you see the dandelions
and wild strawberry emerge, could you think twice about pulling them out right away?
Consider adding some native plants to your garden- Zizia aureu (Golden alexander) is great choice
The color yellow seems to show much earlier than the other colors in the garden, like the first triumph of the season.
Did you know that a flower’s pigments help to attract possible pollinators, such as honeybees. There are two major classes of flower pigments: carotenoids and flavonoids. Carotenoids include carotene pigments (which produce yellow, orange and red colors). Flavonoids include anthocyanin pigments (which produce red, purple, magenta and blue colors).
So why yellow---The honeybees are emerging from their winter sleep and are out trying to find the first pollen of the year to feed on. The bees cannot see red, and prefer the colors yellow and blue. So these caroteniod flowers provide the perfect snack. We just have to make an effort to keep these flowers in our gardens- most are considered weeds--
So this Spring when you see the dandelions
and wild strawberry emerge, could you think twice about pulling them out right away?
Consider adding some native plants to your garden- Zizia aureu (Golden alexander) is great choice
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