Posts Tagged: leafcutter bee One left hungry. One didn't. We
watched a leafcutter bee (genus Megachile) foraging on a gold
coin flower (Asteriscus maritimus 'Gold Coin') yesterday when
suddenly danger lurked. A jumping spider peered over the petals,
its legs (aka "claws") extended in anticipation, the mark of a
good hunter. The jumping spider (family Salticidae), easily
identified by four pairs of eyes, can jump several lengths of
its body. That's good enough to nail a leafcutter bee, but not
this time. Score: Leafcutter Bee 1, Jumping Spider, 0.
Leafcutter bee forages on a gold coin flower, unaware that a
jumping spider lurks. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Close-up
of jumping spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Leafcutter
bees (Megachile spp.), so named because they cut leaves and
petals to line their nests, are smaller than the honey bees but
move faster. These native bees are easily recognizable by the
black-white bands on their abdomen. Catching them in flight
requires a lot of patience. We watched