Leafcutter

Last Saturday at the NCL, I almost caught a Megachile leafcutter bee in action.

But the bee was too quick for me. Leafcutters cut out circles and ovals of leaves to line their nests. These were on a Redbud/Cercis. It’s thought the pieces of leaves help prevent desiccation of the larval food supply (nectar and pollen), but the bees may also be using the plant’s chemistry for their own purposes: anti-insecticidal, anti-microbial, anti-bacterial.