I have a mixed flower patch in my veggie garden to attract pollinators to my veggies. Have seen a bee on one of the sunflowers a lot. and the same thing happen last year too. i’m just wondering if anyone else has notice somethign similar. and i did say mixed, i have some marigolds, zinnias, and cosmos out at the same time, and i haven’t seen bees on them as often. so has anyone else notice this preference of theirs?
It may be based on the varieties you’re growing. The disc area of the flower head in all of those species is where the most nectar and pollen are available. Lots of zinnias and marigolds have been bred to have the more petally, pom-pom discless structure, and so make less treats for the bees than the wild type flowers would. Most sunflowers still have the “petals” and disc structure.
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