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Project Noah Nature School
Opuntia imbricata
.Flowers: 2-3" wide; many petals.Fruit: 1-2" long, yellow, egg-shaped, fleshy. Plant height: 3-7'
Southwest desert, plains and amoung pinon and juniper
What is the bee inside?
Spotted on Jun 14, 2011
Submitted on Jul 24, 2011
1 Comment
The bee is probably a Diadasia sp. - some species are cactus specialists, foraging for pollen only at cactus flowers. (The general term for this specialized behavior is oligolecty.) Here's some info on Diadasia: http://bugguide.net/node/view/69261.