Approximately meter-deep supports emergent herbaceous perennials, typically in dense, monospecific stands; species include bulrush (Typha latifolia), pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata), American lotus (Nelumbo lutea).
They feed on the nectar of various flowers, including Pontederia cordata, Rubus species, Taraxacum officinale, Hieracium aurantiacum, and Phlox species.
With Theodore D. A. Cockerell they identified 32 species in Maine and noted that some bees only visit one kind of flower such as the pickrel weed bee.