All animals that visit the flowers may not be pollinators. Its not very strange. But those visitors like 3 & 4: Insect on flower so yes it can be pollinator. There is a term called head space. in pic no. 3, the insect, the way it enters the flower, doesnt look like it can pollinate the flower!! 6: The butterfly is not on the flower, just the calyx, hence it is looking for something else on non reproductive parts. Probably not a pollinator. 7: Too small to be a pollinator 9 & 10: again not on flowers but the persistent calyx, hence may not be pollinators. Studies on pollinators are really interesting topic which Indians have been avoiding. There are so many endemic plants in India. Point is why they are endemic??? One of the reasons may be the limitation of pollinators. We should encourage people to work on this aspect of botany. Its very interesting and we can get lot of good information out of it. The best thing is, its a multidisciplinary subject: botany, entomology, ecology, chemistry, behaviorial ecology.... Some on take up this task please. In HK I am studying an Orchid called Bulbophyllum bicolor. It is supposed to be endemic to HK. But till now I have seen around 4 insects visiting, but they were never able to pollinate. The plant doesnt set fruit in wild but they occur in wild at many localities. I am coming up with some very interesting findings. While studying it, I found some secretions on the flower surface. Just while I was studying this species, I spent some time on another Bulbophyllum laxiflorum. Insects were coming and spending lot of time outside flower as if they were collecting something from the surface of petals and sepals which till now has not been reported from this genus. Then I came across interesting works done on another orchid called Gongora. In this, the bees collect FRAGRANCE from the floral parts to attract females. They collect and apply the fragrance over their body and while doing so, they pollinate the flowers. Isnt that interesting..... :)) Watch the video. http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchidtalk/genus-specific/26352-gongora-pollinators-wild.html Best wishes Pankaj
On Tuesday, 29 May 2012 22:28:14 UTC+8, Bhagyashri Ranade wrote: > > Hello, > May 2012 Pune. > Found 4 pollinators foraging the small herb of Ocimum tenuiflorum (Tulas > in Marathi) at my home. > The ?wasp and ?bees were seen around 11.00 am to 2.00pm followed by the > butterfly and the insect in the late evening. > pic 3&4 -is it yellow jacket wasp? > Pic 6- is it Common Cerulean? > Please validate > Would appreciate your help to Id the bees and the insect too. > > -- > Thanks and regards > Bhagyashri >
