Willughbys leafcutter bee – Jill Orme Photography

30 Jun 2026

Dismount

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

I’ve been trying for nearly a week to get a photo of this little bee, but up till now I hadn’t even got close as he zoomed relentlessly around the perennial pea in search of a female. Then late this … Continued

21 Jun 2025

Swanky forelegs

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

“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

17 Jun 2025

Stocky

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

Of the seven species of leafcutter bee found in the UK, Willughby’s Leafcutter (Megachile willughbiella) is the most widespread, and probably the easiest to identify. Males are about 12mm long, with pale faces and the short, square abdomen that’s common … Continued

27 Aug 2023

Resting

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

I’ve spent most of the day at my desk, tackling the raw file mountain that (as ever) is threatening to collapse and bring down the house. The fun part (if anything to do with Lightroom can ever be said to … Continued

25 Jul 2023

Willughby

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Bugs, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

Ah – there you are! I’ve been waiting for you. Having gone around the invertebrate calendar a few times now, I know that there are species whose arrival punctuates the season in a fairly predictable way, and I find myself … Continued

31 Jul 2022

Leaf cutters

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

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

27 Jul 2022

Polylectic

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

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

17 Jul 2022

Mr and Mrs

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

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

16 Jul 2022

Big-headed

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

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

1 Aug 2021

Willughby’s Leafcutter Bee

by JDO | posted in: Bees, Flowers and plants, Invertebrates, My garden, Worcestershire | 0

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