Spring beauties are beginning to flower at Herrontown Woods. There's a bee that specializes in pollinating the flower. It's a mining bee, in the genus Andrena. The common name stems from its capacity to dig an underground home. The bee only spends a few weeks each year above ground, collecting pollen that it then forms into balls to nourish its progeny. Spring beauty is our most common spring ephemeral. Next time you're out, see if you can spot a bee. Chances are improved during the warmest part of the day.
A previous post of mine describes a curious behavior of the bee when disturbed, and includes info about a honey bee swarm seen in Herrontown Woods this time of year in 2020.
A "Bug of the Week" website offers a more detailed description of the mining bee's lifestyle.
Very interesting Steve my lower garden is full of spring beauty. I shall check it out. May apple is pushing up.
ReplyDelete