Megachile gemula, F, Side, PG county, MD_2014-01-30-10.55.37 ZS PMax
Megachile gemula is a fairly distinct leaf-cutter bee with dark pollen-carrying hairs (scopae) on her abdomen (versus typical pale yellow or ochre scopae of most other Megachile) (1). They range throughout the east and west sides of the U. S. but appear to be absent from the central states (2). They are generalists, visiting a variety of flower families (2). M. gemula are solitary cavity-nesters in old logs or hollow stems and twigs (3). Original public domain image from Flickr