Flower-Visiting Insects
and Birds Visiting
Obedient Plant


Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant)
(Long-tongued bees suck nectar and/or collect pollen, short-tongued bees probably collect pollen only, other insects and the hummingbird suck nectar. The large carpenter bee, Xylocopa virginica, perforates the corolla at its base to steal nectar, and a bumblebee and soldier beetle were observed stealing nectar at this perforation. Long-tongued bees and the hummingbird are the primary pollinators of the flowers. Observations are from Robertson, Mitchell, and Wilhelm & Rericha as indicated below.)

Birds
Trochilidae: Archilochus colubris sn (Rb)

Bees (long-tongued)
Apidae (Bombini): Bombus impatiens sn sn@prf (WR), Bombus pensylvanicus sn fq (Rb), Bombus vagans sn cp (Rb); Anthophoridae (Ceratinini): Ceratina dupla (WR); Anthophoridae (Eucerini): Melissodes agilis (Mch), Melissodes bimaculata sn (Rb), Melissodes rustica (Mch); Anthophoridae (Xylocopini): Xylocopa virginica prf sn@prf np (WR); Megachilidae (Megachilini): Megachile brevis sn (Rb), Megachile latimanus (Mch)

Bees (short-tongued)
Halictidae (Halictinae): Augochlorella aurata (WR), Augochlorella persimilis (WR), Lasioglossum hitchensi (WR), Lasioglossum truncatum (WR); Colletidae (Hylaeinae): Hylaeus affinis (WR), Hylaeus illinoisensis (WR), Hylaeus mesillae (WR)

Ants
Formicidae (Formicinae): Formica incerta sn fq np (WR), Prenolepis imparis sn fq np (WR)

Butterflies
Nymphalidae: Danaus plexippus sn fq np (Rb, WR); Pieridae: Colias philodice sn np (Rb)

Beetles
Cantharidae: Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus sn@prf (WR)


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