I ran across my first-ever Mullein Foxglove last Saturday along the gravel road to the Blue Hole at Pigeon Mountain. I had made a few trips down this way, monitoring a location for a couple of orchid species I want to catch in bloom. Jay Clark and I spotted the leaves of these orchids back in March, but now there is so much understory growth I haven’t been able to relocate them. In any case, it wasn’t a wasted trip since I was able to photograph a Whiteflower Leafcup, Heal-all, Agrimony, Tall Bellflower, Browneyed Susan, Pale Indian Plantain, and the Mullein Foxglove, all before the rain sent me home.
While I was photographing the plant, this fly landed on one of the blossoms. Dr. John Hilty at illinoiswildflowers.info says that bumblebees, honeybees, miner bees, and butterflies sip the nectar of this plant. We add this fly to his list.
Fly on Mullein Foxglove – Dasistoma macrophylla
Click on the image to go to Flickr, where you can view a larger version.
Mullein foxglove. I had never heard of it. but will look in the future. I don’t think it is in my part of the country (mid ohio valley) but I will look in my travels.
nellie
Thanks for the comment, Nellie. I moved it to this post because I think this is where you intended it to be (it was over on the sensitive briar post.)
I’d never heard of it previously either. From what I’ve read, it’s relatively rare. Not that it’s endangered over it’s range; it’s just not particularly common. The USDA Plants Database shows it being pretty widespread through Ohio. Click here for the Ohio distribution map.