Bee on Fennel. BL ~6mm.
On Ammi visnaga in the community garden. Second photo shows an ant chasing a masked bee off the flower head.
At oak meadows park visiting lupine - Lupinus polyphyllus
~20mm body length. Working fibres off the stem of licorice plant, Helichrysum petiolare. She worked at it for nearly 3 minutes before flying off with her ball. I lost track of her ~30m away as she neared larger trees.
In photo 3 she is working loose fibres into the ball... blurring of the front half of the bee
Tiny female. I guessed she must be newly-emerged as the hair under her abdomen was still translucent and had not yet been coated with pollen.
Ground nesting bee excavating burrow in garden soil. Rock probably forms one wall of burrow. Bee observed carrying a leaf fragment into the burrow, and carrying pollen into the burrow, as well as excavating. Since rocks were placed in this position beside the garden path just this spring it seems the bee has not used a preexisting hole, but I cant be sure of this. Bee removed 1-2 tablespoons of soil from this burrow by repeatedly backing out of the hole.
Reference photo of nest location included, with entrance near the center of the photo, at the base of the
the large rock. Burrow entrance faces south more or less.
Note straight tibial spur
foraging on Common Yarrow
Follows observation https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/130578348 which was made nearby at almost the same time. Facial fovea and wing detail lead me to id as Andrena. The pale colouring and timing have me blank when it comes to anything more specific. Apologies for the focus: it was a very windy day and these are the best of 74 photos.
See also Aug 19 observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/131938774
Carlsbad, CA
3aIMG_4215
Had just planted evening primroses and this bees species arrived shortly thereafter (June 18, 2019) to gather the pollen. While most individuals were nesting somewhere south of where the photos were taken, one decided to make her nest in some creeping thyme close to the primroses (July 2019). Species was still about in October (last photo on African daisy).
Soil had a high sand content. Note material around the nest entrance.
Narcissus Bulb Fly?
What features are required for ID on these wasps? I have many photos of from many angles (including ventral shots)
It's on the plant at https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/88081836
Dune habitat
This species is typically seen foraging on Beach Pea and willow during the spring and summer in these coastal dunes. Nests are in open sand near foraging areas. The nest terminates in a single cell as far as is known.
Dune habitat
Bee on San Diego Gumplant. Kitchen Creek Road (North).
Queen and two worker western bumble bees foraging on Macleaya microcarpa. Yellow-faced bumble bee workers also foraging on the same plant species.
2nd picture is of parasitized red aphid from parasitic wasp