Abdominal Pollen. Megachile centuncularis, Patchwork Leafcutter Bee, on Paper Daisy, Xerochrysum bracteatum, Rijksmuseum Garden, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Working in the middle of this Paper Daisy is a Leafcutter Bee. It's gathering pollen for its solitary nest. Leafcutter doesn't carry that pollen on its legs in the way of for example Honeybees; instead it's abdomen has small reddish hairs that serve as a kind of basket for pollen. You can see it clearly in the photo.
Incidentally, technically speaking only the Yellow Centre of Paper Daisy is the gathering of flower with stamens and pistils. The surrounding papery 'petals' are in fact bracts formed from the topmost foliage of the flower.
Abdominal Pollen. Megachile centuncularis, Patchwork Leafcutter Bee, on Paper Daisy, Xerochrysum bracteatum, Rijksmuseum Garden, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Working in the middle of this Paper Daisy is a Leafcutter Bee. It's gathering pollen for its solitary nest. Leafcutter doesn't carry that pollen on its legs in the way of for example Honeybees; instead it's abdomen has small reddish hairs that serve as a kind of basket for pollen. You can see it clearly in the photo.
Incidentally, technically speaking only the Yellow Centre of Paper Daisy is the gathering of flower with stamens and pistils. The surrounding papery 'petals' are in fact bracts formed from the topmost foliage of the flower.