Posts Tagged: longhorned bee

Meet a Longhorned Bee

Picture this. A female Melissodes agilis, the so-called "agile longhorned bee," is foraging on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia...

A female Melissodes agilis foraging on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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)

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)

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 rotundifola. It's National Pollinator...

A male long-horned bee, a Melissodes agilis, targets a Gulf Fritillary on a Mexican sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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)

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)

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 I'll... Anyway, I just woke up, and I'm starting to stir....

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)

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 atalanta fluttered into our pollinator garden on...

A territorial male long-horned bee, probably Melissodes agilis, targets a Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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 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)

The bee slams into the butterfly and takes off for another round. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Where the Bees Are

Take a photo of a bee--any bee--and then look it up in the newly published California Bees and Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists...

A long-horned male bee, Melissodes robustior, on the leaf of a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A long-horned male bee, Melissodes robustior, on the leaf of a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey

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