We have three remaining cosmos in bloom. Yesterday around 10 a.m., each cosmos was occupied by a different pollinator: a painted lady, a hover fly and a fiery skipper. The law of supply and demand is at work here. As the temperatures drop, leaves fall and blooms bust, the pickings become slim.
I noted the following: each pollinator spent extra time in the flower–I was on top of them taking these shots, yet, they didn’t fly away. The painted lady was the smallest I’ve seen this season, indicative of the dearth of host plants and the end of the butterfly season. The pollinators switched plants during this tri-fest. The cosmos plant is remarkable. Grown from seeds sown three years ago, the cosmos blooms almost all year, surviving heavy winds, blaring heat and drought-like conditions.
It was a November full house.
