Perdita

A series of pictures from Silas Bossert from the National Collection at the Smithsonian. They use their own hi res camera equipment, but prefer a light background. Check the tongue on this bad girl, there is a story here of intense specialization by plant and bee. This tiny bee lives in the deserts of the SW U.S. It feeds its young pollen from Proboscidea ...(Unicorn Plants). But!....The plant does not open its flower when the pollen is ready...the bee has to cut a hole in the base of the flower and then mines that pollen...then...it goes for a drink at the flowers that are open and, boom, bee gets total access to pollen and plant gets very efficiently pollinated. Great system, but require both bee and plant to remain present.