Mika Geiger Photography

Wasp or Bee?

At first glance, I thought this tiny visitor on a Texas baby blue eyes flower at Zilker Botanical Garden was a wasp. With its smooth body and yellow markings, it certainly looked the part.

But it’s actually a masked bee — a native solitary bee. Unlike most bees that carry pollen on hairy legs or bellies, masked bees swallow pollen and nectar and carry it inside their bodies. Later, they regurgitate it to provision the nursery for their larvae.

They nest in small cavities like hollow stems, lining each chamber with a cellophane-like secretion before sealing an egg inside with its food supply.

I’ve learn a lot about Texas native bees from wildbeesoftexas.com — a wonderful resource.

🐝

I had barely stepped onto a sunflower-lined trail when a tiny standoff caught my attention.

This male leafcutter bee was patrolling a small stretch of the trail, chasing off anything that flew too close. You can recognize males by the little “mittens” on their front legs — though despite all that bravado, leafcutter bees are harmless.
The grasshopper, meanwhile, seemed completely unimpressed and kept right on munching.
The bee returned again and again, each pass a little closer than the last…
until the grasshopper finally made his opinion known (2nd photo)

Sony 7RV
Sony 90mm macro lens

Guess who was peeking out at me?

Meet the Ailanthus Webworm Moth.

When they’re flying, they can look more like tiny wasps than moths. When they land, they tuck their wings in tight, which is why they’re often mistaken for beetles at first glance.

The “webworm” name comes from the caterpillars, which create loose silken webs while feeding—nothing webby about the adults at all.