Creatures in the Garden

Title	Creatures in the Garden 2nd Place
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Photo Information	Female native longhorn bee (Melissodes sp.) gathering pollen from a Rudbeckia flower Following a program wide call for photos, and two rounds of voting this photo is the second place winner in Creatures in the Garden.
Photographer	Steinmann, Kimberly: UC Master Gardener Vol.
Description	This female native longhorn bee caught my attention with her focused determination to gather pollen despite many courtship advances from multiple male suitors. Head down, she methodically and carefully traversed the perimeter of the flower, gathering pollen from each anther, while fending off the dive-bombing males. Every now and then she would get tackled, but would get up again and pick up where she left off, plodding along on her task. In the evening, she will take the pollen back to her nest to store for her future children, while the males line the edges of sunflowers, sleeping together in packs. Photo taken in backyard garden, Sacramento, on June 23, 2017.

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