And a bee.

Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
October 8, 2024
A single Morning Glory blossom was open along the causeway on a recent cold morning.

A Spotted Cucumber Beetle and a Bee worked it over, inside and out.

I don’t know if this beetle ate the holes in the flower or if something else already had a snack.

The beetle wasn’t one bit bothered being followed around.

Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
November 19, 2023
Condensed from Wikipedia: Diabrotica undecimpunctata, the spotted cucumber beetle or southern corn rootworm, is a species of cucumber beetle that is native to North America. The species can be a major agricultural pest insect in North America, causing damage to crops in the larval and adult stages of their life cycle. These beetles consume over fifty different types of crops and wild plants, including corn, peanuts, beans, apples, cherries, clovers, lettuce, and potatoes.
You may have noticed I have a thing for Morning Glories. I bought and planted a packet of seeds in the spring. I was excited when a few vines sprouted. Then, nothing. All summer long.
About two weeks ago Ted spotted one bloom at the top of the arbor. I was happy I hadn’t take the vine down. The vines grew. Then suddenly this:

For any non-gardeners, these are one day blooms that will be shriveled up by the end of the day.

We had some rain shortly after the sun came up which made some interesting patterns.

This one lagged behind opening.

The blossom itself is quite delicate, I’m not sure what caused this damage.

I do hope the plant can take a touch of frost; the weather forecast is predicting 38 F (3 C) for tonight. Not that they are ever wrong!
Taken Sunday, November 1, 2020
These wild pink Morning Glories have put on an amazing show this fall. I’ve yet to get a good composition of a mass of them; here’s a small slice.

Not surprisingly there are plenty of bees and other insects.

Occasionally, a small grouping stands apart, like this upright trio.

Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 20, 2020
Morning Glories grow wild along the roads through many of the wildlife management areas around South Carolina.Â

These pink ones make a bold statement as they reach for the early sun.Â

I prefer lining them up with a solid background like the first two images with the blue-grey water behind them, but found this final image with layers of trees, marsh grass and water appealing, too.Â

I started this post in Classic Editor then finished it with the new Block Editor, hopefully without creating display issues.