Images

More leafcutters from Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. In this one the big mandibled Megachile melanophaea. If it is like its kin, it likes thins in the pea family, but as usual, the basics of how it exists on the planet are only sketchily known. Why don't you do something about that viewer? Photography by Colby Francouer, shopping by Elizabeth Garcia.

Two shots of a male Megachile mendica I caught today in Green Ridge area in western Maryland.

Two shots of a male Megachile mendica I caught today in Green Ridge area in western Maryland.

Many of the Megachile are pea lovers and this one is no exception. A spring member of the Chalicodoma subgenus. Collected by Jelle Devalez as part of his studies of the islands of Greece. Photography by Brooke Alexander.

The male of Megachile mucida, this is one of the leafcutter bees, Collected by Heather Campbell in the Southern Pines area of North Carolina.

Megachile aramaticeps, female, GTMO, Cuba Naval Base

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee - A leaf cutting bee, common throughout much of North America

A pair of head shots...including the rarely seen underside of a bee head. The species: Megachile campanulae. From: Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Status common and regular if you swing a net in the summer. Megachile always have lovely omatidia (those lovely hex things on the compound eyes).

Hawaii was colonized once by a single species of Masked Bee (Hylaeus), and evolved and split into dozens of species. Subsequent to Polynesian and European colonization a steady progression of non-native plants and bees have invaded.

Sara Prado found this Megachile concinna in agriculture fields in her Puerto Rico studies. Is it native to P.R.? Nope. It is a tramp species that shows up in different places from its homeland in the Mediteranean. Photo by Brooke Alexander.

Here is a small leaf cutter from Puerto Rico. However, it is not native to P.R. but likely inadvertently introduced through its habit of nesting in holes in wood...which could be holes in pallets or packing crates. Found is scattered locations around North America and even in Hawaii.

A sweet little leaf cutter from Tucson Arizona, Megachile coquilletti is a hole nester and I imagine like its sister taxi in the East probably is happy to nest in people's yards and benefits from rich plantings of desert and dry country native plants. Collected by Tim McMahon and picturated by Elizabeth Garcia.

This is Megachile coquilletti, a small bee from Yolo County in California. "This bee was collected in the California Central Valley in Yolo County for research on small-scale restoration in agricultural areas. Claire Kremen's 10-year study of hedgerows shows the benefits of planting native shrubs and forbs in agricultural areas for native bees.

Megachile deceptrix, Female, face, Dominican Republic, March 2012

Megachile pseudobrevis, female, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Florida

Fort Mantanzas National Monument has Megachile pseudobrevis living in it. How nice that National Monuments now become sanctuaries for bees and Nature while we continue to tame to death the rest of the world. Photography by Miss Sierra Williams.

Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia

Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia

The magnificent mandibled Megachile pugnata. Look how long and wide those mandibles are. Its not clear to me why this species requires much longer mandibles than others, it appears to not be cutting out larger pieces of leaves for its nests, but perhaps it is the type, processing and location of the leaf material that is important.

Some rather bad pictures of M. pugnata males. Not sure why I selected this specimen. Terrible hair. But, anyway check out the large expanded front tarsi. Will have to get additional specimens. Collected in WV by Dave Smith who had fabulous numbers of specimens in malaise samples. Still going through them after 10 years.

Megachile relativa, a relativa (get it?) common species in northern parts of North America. The orangish pollen carrying hairs under the abdomen are uncommon and therefore useful when sussing out this species.