Swanky forelegs
“You know I’ve been going on about that bee with the swanky forelegs?” I said to R. “Well, I finally got some shots of him, and I’m trying to decide which one to use. Look at this.” “Oh yes,” said … Continued
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