WHAT’S BUGGING


I


f you’re looking for a native narcissist in your garden, look no further than the western leafcutter bee,Megachile perihirta. Reminiscent of a young gymnast, the female loves to strut


her stuff. She arches her back and stretches her “neck” as if saluting the judges before a big performance. She is charming, lively, and a stunning beauty. Te female wears a thick scopa on her


abdomen for carrying pollen. When she’s perched on a flower, she holds her abdomen high in the air, probably to keep the pollen load from rubbing off. Her scopal hairs have a distinctly reddish cast, but when she’s foraging, the scopa bears the color of the current pollen load. Because these bees are so hairy, they are also known as furry leafcutting bees. Not to be outclassed by a woman, the male


appears dressed for a military parade, with a dense fur coat and long fringes hanging from his extra-wide forelegs. His eyes seem lined with mascara, a little like Michael Jackson, and just as bold. Te foreleg fringe has a purpose other


than looking good, however. Te male uses his hairy legs—the portion known as the tarsus—to cover the eyes of the female during copulation, probably to keep her calm and receptive.


Larger than Most North America is home to many leafcutters, but the western leafcutter is one of the largest. From a distance, the female can easily be mistaken for a honey bee. She is about the same size as a worker and enjoys many of the same flowers. Te species ranges on the west coast from British Columbia south to northern Mexico. From the coast it spreads east, all the way into Nebraska, Colorado, and western Texas. While most leafcutting bees nest above ground in


tubes or tunnels, the western leafcutter nests underground. Usually a small group of females live in a community and burrow into soil, gravel, or sand. During July and August you may see one carve a disc from a colorful petal or tender leaf, tuck it beneath her body, and fly it home. She disappears, disc and all, into her excavation where she lines her nest with a pieced quilt of many colors.


These cosmos petals had


irregular margins to start, but nothing like this! Cosmos always draw leafcutters to my garden.


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