Smallest Bee I’ve Ever Shot

This isn’t the greatest picture that I’ve ever posted. But it’s really worth seeing. I think it’s a sweat bee – and a metallic one at that. It’s way smaller than a grain of rice – see the second pic with a scale in it – maybe 3mm or so if that. Almost impossible to see as it was navigating the tiny blossom.

Here’s a copy/paste from Wiki re the names of the plant:
Centranthus ruber, the red valerian, spur valerian, kiss-me-quick, fox’s brush, devil’s beard or Jupiter’s beard…

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Different Green Metallic – Double Penstemmons

My bee identification skills are abysmal. Very different green metallic bee today. Note the abdomen vs. yesterday’s bee. The one yesterday was dark and light striped – whereas today’s is metallic. Both neat for sure. Also like the the blossoms side-by-side. Such pretty things – both the bees and the flowers. The pink with the green is a neat touch, too.

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Genus Agapostemon (Sweat Bee) on Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)

The bees have been so attracted to the Gaillardia/Blanket Flowers, that I picked up a couple more at IFA a while ago – and have been waiting for them to bloom. They’ve started up – taller than the ones from last year that you’ve seen lots of. Yesterday, I caught a Sweat Bee (gen. Agapostemon) on one of the new blossoms. Magnificent looking critters. I tried to determine the species, but that confused me and seems beyond my skill level. Ideas?

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Leafcutter Cutting a Leaf

Not really thrilled about this pic. But it’s interesting nonetheless. Metallic-looking leafcutter doing what it does. In addition to the action, I really like the beeneck. Not something you see very often. Hard to see. Such small critters. You can also see how much of the leaf (rose, if I remember right) it’s chewed up.

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