mblebee on Pitcher Plant

The Bumblebee and many of its relatives are important parts of the ecological life of plants since they spread the pollen as they feed on the nectar. This bee is on a Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia purpurea, a native North American carnivorous plant that lives in bogs. The plant lives in nitrogen poor soil and captures insects to supplement its nitrogen intake. This particular specimen is in the Jenkins Arboretum in Devon, Pennsylvania, although it naturally occurs farther South.