Orange Miner

Sitting in the sun with her coat just popping out vibrant orange, brilliant on a leaf on one of the garden shrubs; she had to be my blip. 

The miners mate in the spring after which the male dies and the female starts to nest build in the ground which is about 8-12 inches deep normally with several brood cells. These are filled with nectar and pollen, on top of which she lays an egg in each cell. Sometimes there are more than 100 females in a few square metres.

Still plodding on with the office work as time is getting short and I need to start packing for our next adventure!