On a dandelion in a grassy area on the edge of a small town. The surrounding area is very diverse.
On Monarda fistulosa.
Exhibiting nest-searching behavior: flying low in vegetation, crawling around on ground. Briefly appeared to be feeding from Glechoma flowers.
Thinking griseocollis. Another observation of this bee: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/51496633
For the unfortunately out of focus thing attacking the ant.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/51432677#activity_identification_113850970
On sunflower. I can’t find any bumble bees that are known to be in Alberta to have this colouration. The closest one in Alberta would be Bombus insularis, however, this bumble bee looks very similar to Bombus variabilis!
This bumble bee has rusty coloring, could someone help confirm whether it is a rusty patched bumble bee?
Sleeping leafcutting bee which has left its best in a cultivated Dara flowering carrot
Saw quite a few different individuals all in the same area digging burrows in hard-packed earth along a trail next to the Arkansas River. They were all performing the same behavior- excavating stones/dirt from their holes and bringing down small twigs or dried pieces of grass. I watched these bees for hours just working away at their burrows. They were also surprisingly picky with their grass/twig selection, sometimes investigating 10+ pieces before finally settling on one fit for the nest.
Nesting in base of blooming red yucca flower spike.
Don’t tidy the spikes up at the end of the summer!
I took some large elderberry (Sambucus) branches that were laying on the ground since last fall, cut them to 2-3 ft. lengths, stuck them in the ground and within a week bees were excavating tunnels in the pithy centers (this branch is only 3/8 inch diameter, 11 inches off the ground to the top). Too hairy for Ceratina, lacks Hylaeus markings, pretty hairy for Lasioglossum too, but the mandible area has some orangish coloration, so Osmia is my best guess. Thanks to Michael Mesler for the suggestion.
Noticed a hole near the base of a thriving red yucca bloom spike and waited. Out popped a head! She made a round trip about every three to five minutes. So delighted to have spotted her!
@johnascher
Took pictures of a few Red-belted bumblebees in Spotted Knapweed along path including light colored ones like this one that I hadn't seen before, so I took lots of pictures of it. At home when cropping looks like it has a rusty patch to me with certain light and dark band between wings. Surveyed a restored regional park prairie field for about two hours, taking pictures of each bumblebee + flower combination and counting them, and taking pictures of any interesting bumblebees. Bee Balm, Hyssop, Tickseed, Sunflowers (Ox Eye?) and Spotted Knapweed were the main flowers in the native grasses. Common Eastern and Red-belted were the main bumblebees. Typical Minnesota summer weather at about 85F with a breeze and sun.
Visiting purple coneflower in a boulevard garden. The yellow line across the abdomen is unusual.
Yet another rubicundus from that day, for the screwy antenna. Not sure if this was a defect, injury, or ailment. (Not expecting anyone to ID this one, I just thought it was interesting.)
Ninho localizado a cerca de 3 metros de altura no tronco de (Schinus terebinthifolia) em área próxima de um lago.
Se confirmada a identificação, será o primeiro registro de um ninho da espécie na área do Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga.
Obs: Foto 6 é de um individuo morto encontrado próximo ao ninho
Pollenating Spotted Knapweed near gravel pit and transmission line corridor
Can also hear them buzzing loudly around small holes in bluff above beach.
actually had my 300mm lens on for birds when I saw her doing this (laying an egg??)