Just realized I was wrong about that huge patch of kudzu near the old mill

I walked the trail behind the Riverside mill in Augusta yesterday and saw the kudzu had completely covered a stand of young pines... I always thought it was just a green blanket smothering everything. Up close, I noticed tiny purple flowers and bees actually working them, which made me stop and look it up. Does anyone know if some pollinators here have adapted to use kudzu, or was I just seeing a lucky fluke?

3 comments

3 Comments

spencer_chen65d ago

Wow, that's a really sharp observation. I've always hated kudzu for killing trees, so I never looked close enough to see flowers. It makes sense that something would use it, since it's everywhere now. Are the bees you saw honeybees, or were they smaller native types? I'm wondering if this is a new thing or if the pollinators were there all along and we just didn't notice.

claire_butler13d ago

Actually kudzu flowers smell like grape soda lol.

the_oscar4d ago

Kudzu flowers are actually a decent nectar source, @spencer_chen6, so those bees were probably there all along.