In the blink of an eye, they visit the rockpurslane (Calandrinia grandiflora). Now you see them, now you don't. They're a sweat bee, a little larger than most sweat bees, but a little smaller than a honey bee.
"Where do bees get red pollen?" we were asked. "We've seen bees packing blood-red pollen at the entrance to a hive." Well, one flower that yields red pollen is rock purslane (Calandrinia grandiflora). It's a drought-tolerant perennial, a succulent.
Whether it's coming or going, you notice this pollinator's presence. The European wool carder bee (Anthidium manicatum), so named because the female collects or cards "plant hairs" or "plant fuzz" to line her nest, is strikingly beautiful. The bee is mostly black and yellow.
There's always something special going on at the Bohart Museum of Entomology on the UC Davis campus. But this Sunday, June 3, something even more special "may" occur. That's "may" because a California dogface butterfly "may" emerge from its chrysalis during the Bohart open house, set from 1 to 4 p.
