Spring has sprung and bees are buzzing. Honeybees forage during winter’s warmer days, but native bees take a break from their duties, being safely tucked away in nests of wood or soil, or waiting to emerge from enclosures of plants. As days lengthen and warm, they make their way into gardens. This early spring, I’ve observed several native bee species that I regularly see during the growing season. The first ones who show up to work are the tiny black carpenter bees (Ceratina), followed by a variety of Green Sweat bees, like this emerald beauty, perhaps an Osmia ribifloris.
This type of metallic green bee belongs to the Halictidae family of bees and are common in gardens with a variety of flowers for nectaring and pollen gathering. Bees who forage from a wide array of plants are polylectic. As they visit flowers, females gather pollen on their legs (which you can see in the photos) for their nests. This one is working the blooms of Giant Spiderwort, Tradescantia, but I’ve seen her kind on other flowers.
Her whole body is curled around the anther of the bloom where the pollen is located, all-in to her goal of gathering pollen. A front on photo, while not crystal clear, allows us to glimpse her face. She looks determined in her work, as she packs her little legs full of golden pollen.
These shiny, metallic bees are fast flyers, but observable and not at all rare. They and their cousin metallic bees love a blooming garden.
My Gardener Says... 
I like the way you keep featuring our native bees, especially the metallic ones. I found that the term Halictidae seems to come from Greek halizein, meaning ‘to gather, assemble’ (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Halictus_), though it’s not clear why that should apply to these bees more than to any others.
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Interesting about the word. I know some native bees, while solitary in their nesting, do form colonies. Maybe these are those? I would have named them something reflecting their gorgeous coloring, but then, no one ask me for my opinion–I’m just glad to see them in the garden.
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Sweat bees are sweet bees! 🙂
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They really are, I’ve never been buzzed–they just fly fast!
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I do love the metallic bees. I’ve not seen any blue ones yet this year, but I think I might have seen the green; it could have been a fly of some sort. I’ve seen a good number of small bees with black and white (or gray) striped abdomens: the sort that carry pollen on their bellies. And of course there were bumblebees galore around the Texas mountain laurel and Wisteria. I enjoy the sight of the metallic bees, but I love the sounds of the bumble bees.
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They are gorgeous and fun to watch. I don’t know what the very little ones are; they tend blue/green in color and are also fast flyers. It’s sometimes hard to distinguish the flies from the bees and many flies have that iridescent thing going.
I love the buzz of the bumbles! I don’t usually see them until late spring, I’m a little envious, that you’ve seen them so early this year.
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I love green metallic sweat bees. Aside from their beneficial pollination contribution they are just plain beautiful.
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Yes, it’s a win-win with those gorgeous things!
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Interesting that you say “she” is gathering pollen. My only knowledge of bees is the honey bee species, in which drones gather pollen. I had assumed that all bees had the three genders, male, female and drone, but I see I’m mistaken. Cool new thing to learn!
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I assume she’s a she, as it’s the females who gather the pollen for their nests. Maybe it’s just a really progressive male. 🙂
In honeybee hives, it’s the female workers who do the work. Honeybees have a range of jobs throughout their 6 week life: nurse bees, cleaning bees, guard bees, honey-making bees, and foraging bees–the ones who bring back nectar and pollen for the hive. I’m a beekeeper (two hives) and the only two things that drones do is mate with a queen and freeload (eat the honey). The bums don’t even sting. In fall, the girls kick the boys out of the hive, so that the boys don’t eat all the honey during winter. It’s a tough life out there. 🙂
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In this case, what shimmers DOES indeed carry gold(en) pollen. 😊
No pollen or bees here yet, but we are waiting…🌷🐝
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Well played, madam! Your bees will show up soon, warmer weather willing!
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Let’s hope so!
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What a sweet little sweat bee! My tradescantia are just poking out of the ground – you are way ahead of us up here in Oregon, Tina. Near freezing temps are expected this weekend. Spring seems hesitant this year.
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We are way ahead of you! I’m beginning to dead head the spiderwort, so that I won’t have a gazillion next year!
Wow–you are cold! We just had a fairly chilly week–which I loved–but are back in warming days. Sigh. We have such a long warm season.
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Can you believe it? It SNOWED here yesterday. Big, fluffy flakes. They did not stick to the ground, though, so the chaos that ensued a few weeks ago did not repeat. This is absolutely not where we usually are at the end of March. The earlier parts of 2023 are turning out to be yet another weird weather year.
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Wow–that’s crazy! Global weirding… I’m glad there were no problems with roads, down electric lines, etc. Fingers-crossed that your weather patterns morph more normal going forward. We’re warmer than usual and still dry. Sigh.
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Yeah, it’s weird for us humans. Can’t imagine how the plants feel…
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