And indeed, they did. They evolved when the earth was a very different place. Magnolias are among the oldest flowering plants, going back to the times of the dinosaurs more than 100 million years ago. Scientists recently have discovered a mummified duck-billed dinosaur and determined that this gourmet had dined on "a salad of ferns, conifers, and magnolias" just before its untimely demise. A connoiseur dinosaur!
Magnolias are older than the bees so they had to rely - and they still do - on beetles as their pollinators. As beneficial as they are for the magnolias, these small black beetles are the bane of the photographer: When the magnolia flower finally stops swaying in the breeze, just when I am ready to press the shutter, invariably one of these black beetles appears and wanders lazily around on the petals threatening to ruin a beautiful shot. So, I have to wait until it disappears, which it does eventually. But by then, the breeze starts and moves the flower again ... sometimes you just can't win!
I am fascinated by magnolias; and I managed to get some photos despite the breeze and the beetles.
Click on thumbnails below to see enlarged images