Forum home Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Erigeron

2

Posts

  • borgadrborgadr Posts: 718
    Sun's out, so I just had a look at mine. Small hoverflies seem to like them.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited May 2022
    Here's a honey bee on my erigeron, just for you. 😊


    I did have the same concern. I have a community bed planted up just for pollinators and I added a lot of erigeron for the edging. I was worried to not notice much using it. But then I got down on hands and knees and hung out just watching and so micros flitting about.

    I think larger insects might have a hard time landing on daisy - you can see the honey bee doesn't really fit.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    I might be wrong here but a number of flowers like this change colour when they've been pollinated as a signal to insects that they don't need to visit that flower anymore. I suspect that the colour change here happens as the seeds start to form but I'm not 100% on that.

    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • JellyfireJellyfire Posts: 1,139
    edited May 2022
    Ah phew @BenCotto, at the moment it just looks like the daises have escaped from the ‘lawn’ to the border  :D 


    That’s interesting @wild edges,  not that the insects would mind either way I guess, but if the pink is less attractive to them it would be best for the plant 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I'd love mine to self seed more. I think the slugs eat the seedlings
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Jellyfire said:
    That’s interesting @wild edges,  not that the insects would mind either way I guess, but if the pink is less attractive to them it would be best for the plant 
    I think the flower would stop producing nectar and pollen at that stage and start directing energy into the seed so there would be nothing for the insects to visit the flower for. Maybe this means less pollen is wasted on unreceptive flowers.

    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • JellyfireJellyfire Posts: 1,139
    And I always thought that flowers still produce nectar even after pollination, you learn something new every day!
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited May 2022
    It's a good question. Oddly, I discover that willows produce nectar, even though they are pollinated by wind, not insects. Maybe it was an oversight. :D

    I would think that erig blooms change colour as they age, just as lots of flowers do, including some roses, tulips. I would think it's just a mutation that breeders have made use of, rather than a pollination signal. But it would be cool if it were sending out code.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    There is another form, Erigeron Karvinskianus Lavender Lady. No idea if it is worth growing?
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Fire said:
    I would think that erig blooms change colour as they age, just as lots of flowers do, including some roses, tulips. I would think it's just a mutation that breeders have made use of, rather than a pollination signal. But it would be cool if it were sending out code.
    It's a known process apparently. The Nature article below is really interesting.


    For example, some flowers may have a large amount of nectar as well as high pollen viability and stigma receptivity, but all these characteristics decline after the floral colour change

    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Sign In or Register to comment.