Brassica, Melissodes

Sarah Red-Laird, 1978

Trisaetum Bee Habitat in Cyanotype Two

Ribbon Ridge Vineyard

Brassica, Melissodes

Cyanotype, goldleaf paint, Trisaetum/BGO Entomological Collection

Summer, 2022

There are a few common names for Brassica but the most familiar is mustard.  Depending on who you talk to - this plant is anything varying from an important agricultural commodity, to a pesky and dangerous weed, to a delicious botanical for foraging and eating.

The plant seems to in in-check around the Trisaetum vineyards, and only pops up here and there.  Our experimental control site in Hopewell, however, had a superbloom in the spring of 2021.  Vineyard manager and wine maker, Mimi Casteel, was happy to see the flower – as it was swarming with bees and other beneficial insects and it hasn’t returned with the same vigor since.

If you find mustard blooming on your land, please don’t spray – as they are sure to be covered in bees.  Consider harvesting the flowers and leaves for salad or pesto, or simply steam them and top with butter!  

The bees in this piece are Melissodes or long-horned bees.  They are one of the most charismatic bee species, with their long, graceful antennae.

We love this bee because the males love to sleep together in a cuddle puddle inside of closed flower blossoms at night.  If you have flowers like cosmos in your yard, sneak out first thing in the summer, and take a peak.  I have also found them wedged in the petals of sunflowers.

We also love this bee as it is the most affectionate bee.  Want to know why the males have such long “horns” aka antennae?  It for giving their special ladies an antennae massage when they are having sexy time 😊 Don’t believe me?  Ask the internet.   

If you would like to do some planning for your garden and are looking for flower seed ideas, we’ve compiled a list of the flowers that we’ve observed that are attractive to bees in the vineyards.  Here are photo guides, sorted by name and color.