Bees on Red Maple Flowers

Male cellophane bee, Colletes inaequalis, by Heather Holm.

Male cellophane bee, Colletes inaequalis, by Heather Holm.

Red maple is flowering right now (about three weeks ahead of last year). Acer rubrum’s flowers are like great fireworks of red against the azure blue spring sky. Our other maples are wind-pollinated and flower earlier. 

Bees are attracted to the early season nectar of the red maple flowers, and males (particularly cellophane and mining bees) will patrol these floral buffets for mating opportunities. 

Colletes (cellophane bees), Andrena (mining bees), Lasioglossum (sweat bees), and Osmia bees are among the bees who pollinate red maple, resulting in the double samara (fruit) that will later disperse maple seeds via wind.

I hope you enjoyed this Phenology Note!

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