Megachile fidelis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Megachile fidelis, the faithful leafcutting bee, is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. This species is found in the western United States, where it ranges from Montana and South Dakota to New Mexico, west to California and north to Oregon, and often inhabits meadows and gardens. The bee is black, but covered by golden/yellow hair on its face, behind its eyes, on its thorax, below its wings (which are blackish) and on its legs. The pollen basket of the species is located under its abdomen. As often found with most bees, Megachile fidelis feeds on the nectar of flowers - particularly the nectar of composite flowers. The nests of M. fidelis are created in almost exactly the same fashion as, M. perihirta, the Western Leafcutting Bee. However, adult bees do not leave their brood cells until all the cells between their cell and the end of the tunnel have been vacated. As with the case of many bees, larva grow extremely rapidly when in their brood cells. It is often found that this species of bee leave their nests around spring.
The species was first described by Ezra Townsend Cresson in 1878. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Horn-Faced Leafcutter Bee sighting in Portland on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 281st most-seen of the 507 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Horn-Faced Leafcutter Bee in Portland on a given day, against under 5% in October to July, the lowest months. Those are among Portland's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain a month against 250 mm in December.
Yes
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Horn-Faced Leafcutter Bee sightings, Portland has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Sacramento (United States, under 5%) and Seattle (United States, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Horn-Faced Leafcutter Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Portland (15 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
