Cute Trespasser, Pt. 3 - _TNY_8629
This lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina) is part of a patch in my mother-in-law's garden where the female European wool carder bees (Anthidium manicatum) like to harvest plant hairs for their nests. This has led to the males setting up territories around "their" patch and then proceed to chase away anything that isn't a female of his species and any female that want "his" plant hair he will mate with.
So what does this have to do with this bee which isn't that species?
Well, for some reason, the male patrolling this patch was somewhere else for a while and that's when this female four-banded flower bee (Anthophora quadrimaculata) dropped in and zipped around gathering pollen at breakneck speed while the coast was clear.
Fortunately for me, I managed to get some quite nice shots of this one with it's extra-large eyes that almost reach down to the mandibles, making it in my opinion über-cute!
Part 1 (significantly closer) here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53856737231/
Part 2 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53879056130/
Bonus points for wearing eyeliner/mascara too.
Cute Trespasser, Pt. 3 - _TNY_8629
This lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina) is part of a patch in my mother-in-law's garden where the female European wool carder bees (Anthidium manicatum) like to harvest plant hairs for their nests. This has led to the males setting up territories around "their" patch and then proceed to chase away anything that isn't a female of his species and any female that want "his" plant hair he will mate with.
So what does this have to do with this bee which isn't that species?
Well, for some reason, the male patrolling this patch was somewhere else for a while and that's when this female four-banded flower bee (Anthophora quadrimaculata) dropped in and zipped around gathering pollen at breakneck speed while the coast was clear.
Fortunately for me, I managed to get some quite nice shots of this one with it's extra-large eyes that almost reach down to the mandibles, making it in my opinion über-cute!
Part 1 (significantly closer) here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53856737231/
Part 2 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53879056130/
Bonus points for wearing eyeliner/mascara too.