Long-Styled Sweet Cicely Insect Visitors

Long-Styled Sweet Cicely ~ Osmorhiza longistylis
Long-Styled Sweet Cicely is one of my favorite woodland native plants. Its other common name is Aniseroot for its licorice-scented roots. Flowering in May, it's an attractive, medium sized, shade-tolerant perennial with tiny, five-parted white flowers arranged in an umbel. Another common Cicely is Sweet Cicely, Osmorhiza claytonii.

Unlike some other spring flowering woodland natives such as Bloodroot or Rue Anemone, Cicely offers both nectar and pollen rewards to visiting insects.

Cellophane Bees (Colletes spp.) visit the flowers for nectar, but in the process their hairy faces get covered with the white pollen which will aid in cross-pollination.

Cicely was the first plant I noticed this Syrphid Fly visiting (Sphegina spp.). These flies are common visitors to woodland natives in early spring, and they seem to have a preference for white flowers. They feed on both nectar and pollen of Long-Styled Sweet Cicely. 

They resemble a thread-waisted wasp, with narrowed waists, and an over-sized rear femur. Larvae develop in water-logged wood as well as under wet bark. Look for these Syrphid Flies on Bishop’s Cap, Tall Meadowrue, Marsh Marigold and Goat’s Beard in the spring.

Small Sweat Bees (Lasioglossum spp.) visit Cicely flowers for both nectar and pollen. Nectar is easily accessible for short-tongued bees as the tiny flowers are shallow.

Cicely also attracts beneficial insects like this Tachinid Fly, possibly a Siphona spp. Tachinid Flies lap up nectar with their sponge-like mouthparts. Adults lay eggs near or on their prey, primarily caterpillars, and the hatching larvae feed on their hosts.

I have also seen some day-flying moths visiting Cicely flowers for nectar, but did not get a photo.

Cicely foliage stays attractive throughout the summer months in the landscape but it does produce seeds with fine hairs that stick to animal fur and clothing.

If you have a shady to part sun location with average soils, Cicely is an excellent candidate.

Native Plant of the Week: Swamp Milkweed ~ Asclepias incarnata

Swamp Milkweed ~ Asclepias incarnata

Swamp Milkweed was in full bloom last week. I purchased 5 more plants this spring and added them to the rain garden by the driveway. All are doing fantastic, and providing an excellent source of nectar for pollinators.

Swamp Milkweed is a native perennial of wetland edges and moist soils. If you have drier soils, it can be short lived if there are periods of drought. But if you are fortunate to have a low lying area in full sun in your yard (that stays moist), swamp milkweed is an excellent candidate.

The light to dark pink flowers are extremely fragrant, reminding me of a vanilla scent. The leaves are opposite in arrangement, narrow and pointed.

Milkweeds have the most interesting flower form, comprised of horns and hoods, the whole cluster arranged in an umbel. Just take an up close look at the flowers some time to appreciate their form. Seed pods are upright and hold numerous seeds with silky hairs attached, the pods open and the seeds are wind dispersed.

And of course, this is one of several milkweed larval host plants for the Monarch Butterfly.

I've had one plant in particular that the Yellow Faced Bees (Hylaeus spp.) have been coming to. Their small size allows them to dip their heads down into flowers for the nectar rewards.

Close up of the Yellow Faced Bee.

The majority of insect visitors however are wasps. It's a favorite of the Great Black Wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus) in our yard.

As well as Yellow Jackets and ...

Northern Paper Wasps.

Tachinid Flies also take advantage of the abundance of nectar offered.

Also Soldier Beetles.

Swamp Milkweed can also host Aphids. One of the new plants has a good crop of Aphids. Not to worry though, there's plenty of Lady Bird Beetles nearby.

Swamp Milkweed is native to central and eastern North America. See map for range.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

Native Plant of the Week: Common Boneset ~ Eupatorium perfoliatum

Common Boneset ~ Eupatorium perfoliatum


Common Boneset is a wonderful native perennial for sandy, moist soils. Flowering a little earlier this year (like almost everything else), Boneset is a four foot tall, upright plant with hairy leaves and stem.

The leaves surround the flower stem and are held outwards horizontally. In our landscape, they make a nice perch for tree frogs watching the visiting insects above on the flowers.

Common Boneset is found along shores in moist soils as well as low lying wet areas in prairies in full sun. It's a good candidate for rain gardens near the input where there's adequate moisture during rain events.

The white flowers are numerous and packed into a somewhat flat flower head. They don't seem to be as attractive to butterflies, but many wasp, bee and fly species will cover the flowers.

These Tachinid flies with their long hairs protruding from the top of their abdomens love Common Boneset and Culver's Root.

Tiny Yellow-Faced Bees (Hylaeus species) visit the flowers regularly.

Both the large Northern Paper Wasps and Bald Faced Hornets also seek out nectar from the flowers.

I have photographed this handsome Sand Wasp (Bicyrtes species) two years in a row on Common Boneset. These wasps fashion their ground nests (in sand) with true bugs such as Stink Bugs for their developing larvae to feed upon. (Source: Bug Eric Blog)

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

Common Boneset is native to eastern North America. See map for range.