Posts Tagged: Megachile fidelis

The Colors of Pollinator Week

As we near the end of celebrating National Pollinator Week, June 16-22, look around and see all the insects foraging on reddish-orange flowers. And occasionally, you might see a reddish-orange insect like the showy Gulf Fritillary butterfly. Orange, a...

Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) spreads its wings on a purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) spreads its wings on a purple coneflower(Echinacea purpurea) (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A sunflower bee (Melissodes agilis) forages on a blanket flower (Gallardia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A sunflower bee (Melissodes agilis) forages on a blanket flower (Gallardia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A green bottle fly rests on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A green bottle fly rests on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) on a blanket flower (Gallardia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) on a blanket flower (Gallardia) (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A leafcutting bee, Megachile fidelis, on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A leafcutting bee, Megachile fidelis, on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

All About Pollination

Pollination--what should we know? How can we attract pollinators to our gardens and agricultural landscapes? Rachael Long, Yolo County farm advisor and director of the Yolo County Cooperative Extension  program, has lined up a group of outstanding...

Squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Leafcutting bee, Megachile fidelis, on Mexican sunflower, Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Leafcutting bee, Megachile fidelis, on Mexican sunflower, Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Sunflower bee, Svastra obliqua expurgata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Sunflower bee, Svastra obliqua expurgata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Piling on the Pollen

It's a native bee. It's a pollinator. And it's a leafcutter. This morning we admired this female leafcutter bee, Megachile fidelis, as identified by native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology at the University of...

Female leafcutting bee, Megachile fidelis, foraging on a Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Female leafcutting bee, Megachile fidelis, foraging on a Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Note "the brush of hairs on the underside of her abdomen where she is packing pollen for the trip back to her nest," says native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Note "the brush of hairs on the underside of her abdomen where she is packing pollen for the trip back to her nest," says native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This female leafcutting bee, Megachile fidelis, is loaded with pollen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This female leafcutting bee, Megachile fidelis, is loaded with pollen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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