Imogen's photos with the keyword: australia

This morning I went out to see if the Leafcutter bee I had spotted last night was around. There were not one but two Leafcutter bees buzzing around this blue Salvia. It is a popular plant with my bees as I counted 5 types of bees on the Salvia at the same time. Honeybee, Leafcutter Bee, Blue Banded native bee, tiny Stingless native bee and a brief visit from a Teddy Bear Bee. I am thrilled to see this Leafcutter bee, Megachile sp., which has eluded me till now. More pictures of it to follow.

Leafcutter Bee, Megachile sp., length 12mm. This is the first sighting of this bee in my garden and I'm so excited. Excuse the low resolution picture as it was taken at night - I had gone outdoors to photograph something else when I spotted the bee. It happened so fast I didn't have time to adjust my camera but wanted to capture the bee before it flew off. This bee cuts neat circular pieces out of soft leaves, like rose leaves, to use in its nest. I've seen the holes in my roses' leaves but never the bee, until now.