Anthidium tenuiflorae, F, side, Keweenaw County, MI_2013-10-31-11.39.41 ZS PMax
Anthidium tenuiflorae ranges from Alaska south into the western half of the United States and east to northern portions of the Great Lakes region (1). Bees in the genus Anthidium are known as “carder bees” as they scrape (or “card”) the fuzzy hairs (trichomes) from plant leaves and stems to line and divide cells within their nests. Females meticulously remove the trichomes with their mandibles (jaws) and collect them into a ball, then carry them to their nest. Anthidium tenuiflorae nest in holes they find in the ground and plug the holes with pebbles and dirt (2). They are generalists and feed on many different plants, especially those in the Fabaceae (legumes) family and Asteraceae (asters) (1). They emerge from their nests in the spring and are active through most of the fall (2). Original public domain image from Flickr