Early spring wildflowers are incredibly important to native bees emerging from their overwinter retreats. Here, cellophane bees are feeding on purple cress (Cardamine douglassii). Cellophane bees are ground nesting bees. The female digs nesting chambers 3 to 6 inches deep and coats the walls with a polyester-like substance. This film protects the nesting chamber from excess wetness, which allows these bees to nest in locations with wetter soils. Researchers are investigating the properties of this substance to determine whether it can help inform the development of biodegradable products to replace plastics.
You can learn more about this bee on the Native Beeology website.
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