Velvetleaf

The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract various kinds of bees, including bumblebees, long-horned bees (Melissodes spp.), leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), and Halictid bees. Occasionally, small- to medium-sized butterflies visit the flowers for nectar, while Syrphid flies feed on the pollen (Robertson, 1929). Some insects feed destructively on Velvet Leaf. Insects that feed on either the mature or developing seeds include Amara aenea (Common Sun Beetle), Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis (a ground beetle), Harpalus pensylvanicus (Pennsylvania Ground Beetle), Gryllus pennsylvanicus (Fall Field Cricket), larvae of Althaeus folkertsi (Velvetleaf Seed Beetle), Liorhyssus hyalinus (Hyaline Grass Bug), Niesthrea louisianica (Louisiana Hibiscus Bug), larvae of Helicoverpa zea (Corn Earworm Moth), and larvae of Heliothis virescens (Tobacco Budworm Moth); see White et al. (2007), Lundgren & Rosentrater (2007), and Gibb (1991). Some of these insects also feed on the flowers and their buds. The larvae of Calycomyza malvae (a leaf-miner fly) tunnel through the leaves, while Ophiomyia abutilivora (a leaf-miner fly) bore through the stems of Velvet Leaf (Spencer & Steyskal, 1986). The larvae of Pyrgus communis (Checkered Skipper) make folded-leaf nests, from which they feed (Barnes, 1999).