I wanted to share a great picture Mike got of a male Hairy-footed Flower Bee after he rescued it from the "summer house" at the bottom of our garden. The photo certainly makes clear how this bee got its name! Bees collect pollen on the hairs that cover their back legs, so I'm not really sure of the function of the long hairs on the middle legs of this species. Perhaps females think it's incredibly sexy? That seems to drive the development of a lot of the bizarre appendages and embellishments found in various animal species. Regardless, I haven't been able to find anything on the internet (or in any of our books) so far that explains it.
The Coltsfoot I photographed earlier this spring has finally gone to seed, and is currently shedding potential future plants all over the place. Today's wind is certainly helping with their dispersal! The long pappus (the fuzzy white hairs that extend from the brown seed) helps them sail high and far — if the seed-eating birds don't get them first.
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