Maypops or Purple Passionflowers (Passiflora incarnata) are blooming now in roadsides and forest edges across the Piedmont. Eastern Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa virginica) are a common pollinator of this native plant. As the bees take in nectar, their backs are dusted with yellow pollen from the rectangular male anthers. When the bees visit other flowers, some of this pollen may be transferred to the sticky, knobbed female stigmas. This cross-fertilization results in the fragrant passion fruits prod

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