𓆤 Sleeping Beauty on Pine

 The Quiet Grip of a Nomad Bee

I am smitten! 🧡 I encountered this sleeping beauty while checking for tracks on an eastern white pine. And finally my first nomad bee of the season! Well technically my second one today.

Many male and some female Nomada bees have no nest to return to at night, so they roost on vegetation, often right at the tip of a grass blade, twig, or leaf. They anchor themselves by clamping their mandibles onto the plant, which lets them hang on securely while remaining otherwise motionless.

I could inspect the needle, which I did delicately. She moved her antennae slowly. I let her be, and then I looked back and she was gone.

Here's a view from beneath showing the clasp. She's locked in on the needle all right! ☺️

Note that I refer to her as a 'she' only because a bee is feminine in French 🐝

📷 Nomad Bee · Nomade (Genus Nomada) | © Claire O'Neill, please credit accordingly.