Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.
As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”
Leaf-cutter bee at entrance to her nest in a stone wall. She is holding a piece of leaf here, but we cant see it because of the angle.
Also, that leaf segment wasn’t as large as this piece, brought in 3.5 minutes earlier. Megachile bees line their nests with half circle pieces of leaf that they cut out rather swiftly. They also collect pollen on their abdomens, which is why it’s so hairy there.
And the leaves act as a kind of fumigant, don’t they?
Yes, it seems the plant’s defensive chemicals are appropriated by the bees as an anti-microbial barrier. The leaf segments also act as waterproofing–to keep moisture in in dry habitats and water out in wet.
Backyard and Beyond 
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