Rediviva species, Black Daddy Longlegs Oil Bee, collected in South Africa

We showed the male already...here is the female.

What fantastically cool bees! These bees have extremely long front legs that they use to collect oil from plants, using the oil instead of nectar as food for the larvae. At the end of their legs are sponge-like patches of hairs. When flying these bees tuck their legs beneath their body and then extend them as they land on their flower. They do this instantaneously. It is like being able to get your arms into the sleeves of a sweater with absolutely no effort. There has been a close evolutionary relationship between the long-legged bees and their oil-bearing floral hosts. The oil is energetically expensive for plants to make and is housed at the end of paired floral spurs. Different species of plant have spurs of varying lengths, some with short spurs only require bee legs of normal length to reach the oil. Clearly this species visits flowers that have very long spurs. The entire range of intermediate leg and spur lengths can be found in these bees which are restricted to South Africa.

Further in Summer than the Birds

Pathetic from the Grass

A minor Nation celebrates

Its unobtrusive Mass.

No Ordinance be seen

So gradual the Grace

A pensive Custom it becomes

Enlarging Loneliness.

Antiquest felt at Noon

When August burning low

Arise this spectral Canticle

Repose to typify

Remit as yet no Grace

No Furrow on the Glow

Yet a Druidic Difference

Enhances Nature now

-- Emily Dickinson. Original public domain image from Flickr

Rediviva, f, south africa, face