Hibiscus flowers are stunning while they last, but that is not for very long. After just a few hours, or at most a couple of days, the petals shrivel up and the flowers drop to the ground.
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| A blooming Texas star, a.k.a. scarlet rose mallow (Hibiscus coccineus). |
Once the flowers wilt, they are unlikely to be pollinated or to transfer any more of their own pollen. Yet, they may still have some nectar left inside. Though the conventional route to the nectar is closed off, the nectar is not out of the reach of all visitors.
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| A carpenter bee (Xylocopa sp.) chewing through a closed hibiscus flower. |
Large carpenter bees, such as the one shown in the pictures above and below, can chew through the expired flowers to reach any remaining nectar.
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| The carpenter bee starts to work on another flower. |
Although this behavior is technically
nectar robbing, the salvaging of left-over nectar by carpenter bees should not have any cost for the plant -- as long as the bees do not damage the flowers' ovaries in the process.
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