New Species! - _TNY_8106
Here is a new one for me. This is a welted lesser mason-bee (Hoplitis claviventris) and the first Hoplitis species I've photographed.
For some reason, it really didn't want to leave this hawkweed (Hieracium sp.) so it allowed me to take several photos at various magnification.
This species likes to chew away the softer middle part of dead stems of more woody plants like bramble or raspberry but also the dried remains of herbaceous species like thistles.
The eggs plus pollen as provisions are then laid inside these natural tubes.
New Species! - _TNY_8106
Here is a new one for me. This is a welted lesser mason-bee (Hoplitis claviventris) and the first Hoplitis species I've photographed.
For some reason, it really didn't want to leave this hawkweed (Hieracium sp.) so it allowed me to take several photos at various magnification.
This species likes to chew away the softer middle part of dead stems of more woody plants like bramble or raspberry but also the dried remains of herbaceous species like thistles.
The eggs plus pollen as provisions are then laid inside these natural tubes.