Spanish Needles Bidens pilosa for Wildflower Wednesday

At the rooftop Secret Garden of 1-Utama, there is a planter box filled to the brim with flowers that looked like wild daisies. These Bidens pilosa flowers attracted many bees and butterflies, the beneficial insects.

At first I thought they were the more beautiful and bigger version of Tridax procumbens, a weed which we can find everywhere by the roadsides in Malaysia.

“Spanish Needles Bidens pilosa for Wildflower Wednesday”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on June 23rd, 2011.

Wordless Wednesday - Clock Vine Tunbergia Grandiflora

Botanical name: Thunbergia grandiflora

Common: Bengal clock vine, clock vine, sky flower

Origin: India

Photos taken by Autumn Belle at The Secret Garden 1-U

Grateful thanks to: Dr. Francis Ng.

To view other WW posts or to participate, please click here.

Bees Love Turnera subulata (White Alder)

Common name: White Alder, Sulphur Alder, Politician's Flower, White Buttercup, Dark-eyed Turnera

Botanical name: Tunera subulata

Family: Turneraceae (Yellow Alder family)

Turnera Subulata is a perennial herb, woody at the base and can reach 30-80cm in height. Native to the West Indies, Florida, Brazil and Central America, it has a strong tap root. The flowers are white with a yellow halo around black centres. Leaves are bright green in colour. This species is also found here in South East Asia.

I usually find these plants in sunny places near the roadside, rubbish dumps and outside house compounds. Sometimes it is planted as a bush and used to decorate entrances to homes and properties.

Whenever I see this flower, there will be many bees swarming around it or busy collecting nectar. In fact, these bees are so busy, they didn't even notice me snapping away with my camera.

Look closely at the flower. Can you see a cat's tongue? In Malay it is known as 'bunga lidah kuching' meaning cat's tongue. Another name for it is 'bunga pukul lapan' (8 O'clock flower). The flowers open around 8 am in the morning and there are so many blooms, it can brighten up any area. By 11am - noon, all the flowers would have withered away. Such a short life span but contribute so much. No wonder the bees are so busy in the mornings. Like the saying "As busy as a bee".

They love the sun and grow well in sandy soil.

This tunera bush at the riverbank next to a bridge, has an abundance of flowers.

There are many bees here. Strangely, I don't hear the buzzing sound.

The bees are deeply engrossed in their nectar collecting tasks.

The picture is taken at the park near my home.

This is a welcome sight. Quite often, I have come accross gardens that have no signs of wildlife. These gardens have bright and beautiful flowers, but no bees, no butterflies and no scent. Is this a sign of heavy pesticide usage?

Bees are often associated with honey, pollen, royal jelly and their painful sting. Bees are also important as crop pollinators. Can you imagine a world without bees? How then can I get to eat my cucumbers, tomatoes, beans and carrots?