Posts Tagged: Xylocopa sonorina

Sleepy-Time for a Valley Carpenter Bee

It's always a good idea to carry your cell phone or shoulder a camera while you're taking a stroll through a garden. You never know what you will see. It was early morning on Tuesday, June 7, when we spotted a female Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa...

A dorsal view of a female Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa sonorina, asleep on a passionflower vine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A dorsal view of a female Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa sonorina, asleep on a passionflower vine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The female Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa sonorina, begins to stir on a passionflower vine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The female Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa sonorina, begins to stir on a passionflower vine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Okay, about time to wake up! Shortly after this image was taken, the Valley carpenter bee took flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Okay, about time to wake up! Shortly after this image was taken, the Valley carpenter bee took flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

How a 'Bear' Can Outsmart a Fox

There's a way for a bear to outsmart a fox. A teddy bear bee, that is.  We just witnessed a male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa sonorina, aka "the teddy bear bee," buzz up to a patch of  foxgloves, Digitalis...

A male valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa sonorina, engaging in nectar robbing; he's sipping nectar through a hole in the base of a foxglove blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa sonorina, engaging in nectar robbing; he's sipping nectar through a hole in the base of a foxglove blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ah, sweet nectar. This male Valley carpenter bee lingers a bit to sip the sweet reward. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ah, sweet nectar. This male Valley carpenter bee lingers a bit to sip the sweet reward. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of male Valley carpenter bee, "the teddy bear beer," engaged in nectar robbing. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of male Valley carpenter bee, "the teddy bear beer," engaged in nectar robbing. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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