Fool me twice
Late this afternoon I went out into the garden to take care of a situation that had been niggling me, which was the fact that a huge clump of nettles and rosebay willowherb had almost taken over one of the … Continued
Leafcutter
My identification app says that this is Megachile willughbiella, but I don’t think it is. Far be it from me, etc., etc., but I think I can reasonably claim to know a M. willughbiella when I see one, because I … Continued
Leaf cutters
It’s not often you’re offered a face shot by a female Megachile willughbiella: they’re usually buried head down in a flower. But I was out quite early this morning, and several of my subjects, including this one, seemed dozier than … Continued
Polylectic
Well, you say that… Polylectic in this sense means a bee that collects pollen from a range of unrelated types of flower. It’s said that Megachile willughbiella is happy to collect from daisies, campanulas and willowherbs, as well as from … Continued
Mr and Mrs
I’m back with the leaf cutter bees tonight – not least because they kept working today, when almost everything else had retreated to the shade, and thereby gave me the day’s best photo opportunities. The main image is a female … Continued
Big-headed
Today was hot and sunny – though nowhere near as hot as the next three days are expected to be – and I turned my back very firmly on all the work that was waiting for me in the house, … Continued
Willughby’s Leafcutter Bee
I don’t know who Willughby was, but he or she managed to get themselves a truly beautiful bee. Worldwide there are over fifteen hundred species within the genus Megachile, but in the UK we only have seven, and M. willughbiella … Continued
Going for gold
AOG Day 9 The Hoverfly Copulation Competition concluded this afternoon, with what was surely an inevitable win for H. Hybridus, the hoverfly affectionately known to his team-mates in Team Eristalini as Alpha Male. Here you can see the unparalleled poise … Continued