Ooh, Leaf Cutter Bees are back

And what a fuzzy one this leaf cutter megachile bee is.

It is collecting pollen from the face of a Serpentine Sunflower Helianthus bolanderi.

These are such fascinating bees with their hairy bellies.

They transport pollen on these hairs.

This must be a male leaf cutter bee because its face is covered with dense, pale hair, and the tip of its abdomen is blunt.

You know when you have leaf cutter bees in your garden because they cut uniform circular holes along the edges of flower petals and plant leaves. This is a good sign that your garden is healthy, providing nesting material for these important pollinators.

Here is the same leaf cutter bee on a blossom of an orange sulphur Klondike cosmos plant.