Posts Tagged: longhorned bee
Decisions, Decisions! The Katydid or the Bee?
So here's this crab spider stalking a katydid nymph foraging on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia...
A crab spider is about to nail a katydid nymph when a longhorned bee, Melissodes agilis, appears on the Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The longhorned bee, Melissodes agilis, continues to forage under the watchful eye of the crab spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The longhorned bee turns aways from the crab spider, still unaware of the danger. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The crab spider hauls the struggling katydid nymph over the side of the Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Meet a Longhorned Bee
Picture this. A female Melissodes agilis, the so-called "agile longhorned bee,"...
A female Melissodes agilis foraging on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The female Melissodes agilis continues foraging on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Proboscis out, the female Melissodes agilis is finished foraging on the Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, and ready to leave. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Target: A Gulf Fritillary
So here's this Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, nectaring on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia...
A male long-horned bee, a Melissodes agilis, targets a Gulf Fritillary on a Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Coming in from a different direction, the male territorial longhorned bee targets the Gulf Fritillary occupying "his" flower, a Mexican sunflower. They're all "his" flowers. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Another line of attack! The male longhorned bee aims straight for the Gulf Fritillary. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
What's on the Day's Agenda for This Longhorned Bee?
Hey, the sun's up! It's time to rise and shine! Maybe I'll shine before I rise...or maybe...
After spending the night sleeping on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, a male longhorned bee, Melissodes agilis, starts to stir. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Not a Good Way to Welcome an Admiral
It was not a good way to welcome an admiral. The Red Admiral butterfly, that is. The Vanessa...
A territorial male long-horned bee, probably Melissodes agilis, targets a Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The long-horned bee makes a "bee line" for the butterfly, a Red Admiral. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The bee slams into the butterfly and takes off for another round. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)