broad-handed leafcutter (Megachile latimanus) female on birdsfoot trefoil at Cardinal Marsh IA 653A3517
Broad-handed leafcutters are one of the biggest leaf-cutter bee species. Males have a large fuzzy fringe on their foreleg - his "broad" hands. This mother is gathering pollen that she will mold into a nutritious bread-like loaf for her larvae to feed on once they hatch from their leafy nest cells hidden in an underground tunnel. Last summer's larvae have pupated now and are waiting for next summer's warm weather to emerge as adults.
broad-handed leafcutter (Megachile latimanus) female on birdsfoot trefoil at Cardinal Marsh IA 653A3517
Broad-handed leafcutters are one of the biggest leaf-cutter bee species. Males have a large fuzzy fringe on their foreleg - his "broad" hands. This mother is gathering pollen that she will mold into a nutritious bread-like loaf for her larvae to feed on once they hatch from their leafy nest cells hidden in an underground tunnel. Last summer's larvae have pupated now and are waiting for next summer's warm weather to emerge as adults.