avatarLucianoSphere (Luciano Abriata, PhD)

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ting it when it was going out of its home:</p><figure id="e2df"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*9RoN6MG1cM4OzvRzZbJd3g.png"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="29c4"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*2FOqSGr42jMaDYuZEhOt3Q.png"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><p id="0aaa">In video:</p><div id="35db" class="link-block"> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4F7Pav3log4"> <div> <div> <h2>Leafcutter bee leaving its nest</h2> <div><h3>Edit description</h3></div> <div><p>www.youtube.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*K1Aib52n1OkZs1iM)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><h1 id="8186">This young tree is their favorite substrate</h1><p id="9cbc">A few times I’ve seen these bees leaving my <a href="https://readmedium.com/scentful-pseudoacacias-b553be139186">pseudoacacia</a> with rounded pieces of its leaves. Too bad I could never record a video of them in action cutting the leaves.</p><p id="0839">But here’s the result of their activity:</p><figure id="29e2"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*-UEZx6Skaky8AX3qQWLfdg.png"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="e2aa"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*JZ24PnVubEcrOaxU"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><h2 id="8f27">Like the setting of this photoshoot?</h2><p id="f0c7">It’s the balcony I maintain in my balcony, including some (wild)flowers and several edibles. You can know more about it here:</p><div id="d307" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/salad-plants-in-and-out-in-my-balconys-edible-garden-d2b374366dfc"> <div> <div> <h2>Salad plants in and out in my balcony’s edible garden</h2> <div><h3>I just harvested corn salad and planted lettuce.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*lxIYve3PqX9TiJRG)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="4390" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/the-joy-of-consuming-your-own-produce-db4a2ddf20a5"> <div> <div> <h2>The joy of consuming your own prod

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uce</h2> <div><h3>Fruits, salad and aromatics growing in my balcony.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*-Zd88IsS6Fphp6I2)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="c7c2" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/first-strawberries-out-in-my-balconys-edible-garden-67488571a018"> <div> <div> <h2>First strawberries out in my balcony’s edible garden</h2> <div><h3>+ a method to easily reproduce basil + checking salads, tomatoes and aromatic plants as they grow vigorously.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*80EHf1GZ9mCerpr9)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><h2 id="2c67">Like insects?</h2><p id="dff8">Check these out, shot high in the Swiss Alps:</p><div id="63a6" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/curious-insects-in-the-heights-f6e98c23a8ce"> <div> <div> <h2>Curious insects in the heights</h2> <div><h3>Closing the stories of a recent hike in my favorite corner of the Swiss Alps.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*bTr09Jn4KiSd4Jy05ILdjQ.png)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="fc10"><a href="https://www.lucianoabriata.com/"><b><i>www.lucianoabriata.com</i></b></a><i> I write and photoshoot about everything that lies in my broad sphere of interests: nature, science, technology, programming, etc. <a href="https://lucianosphere.medium.com/membership"><b>Become a Medium member</b></a> to access all its stories (affiliate links of the platform for which I get small revenues without cost to you) and <a href="https://lucianosphere.medium.com/subscribe"><b>subscribe to get my new stories</b></a><b> by email</b>. To <b>consult about small jobs</b> check my <a href="https://lucianoabriata.altervista.org/services/index.html"><b>services page here</b></a>. You can <a href="https://lucianoabriata.altervista.org/office/contact.html"><b>contact me here</b></a><b>.</b></i></p></article></body>

A leafcutter bringing a piece of leaf to build its home underground in this pot where a nasturtium is growing. This and all other photographs by author Luciano Abriata.

Leafcutter bees visit my balcony garden

These are solitary bees, not whole behives. So they are welcome.

For a moment, I thought I had a colony of bees living in my balcony. But I was wrong, for good.

I do have some bees living inside pots on my balcony, but they are leafcutter bees, who live solitary. So, they are welcome!

Home at a nasturtium

Here you can see one travelling around with a leaf. I followed it recording a video until I saw it enter its underground nest in a small cement pot with a nasturtium. Here are a few selected shots in a sequence.

First, as it is headed home with a leaf. I was very lucky to capture it flying:

And here’s when it was getting to the nest. It made a few flybys around the entry, and then got in:

You can here see the video from which I got these snapshots:

Home under a succulent

This other bee made a home under this succulent. I saw it bringing a leaf but couldn’t capture that.

I was more successful at shooting it when it was going out of its home:

In video:

This young tree is their favorite substrate

A few times I’ve seen these bees leaving my pseudoacacia with rounded pieces of its leaves. Too bad I could never record a video of them in action cutting the leaves.

But here’s the result of their activity:

Like the setting of this photoshoot?

It’s the balcony I maintain in my balcony, including some (wild)flowers and several edibles. You can know more about it here:

Like insects?

Check these out, shot high in the Swiss Alps:

www.lucianoabriata.com I write and photoshoot about everything that lies in my broad sphere of interests: nature, science, technology, programming, etc. Become a Medium member to access all its stories (affiliate links of the platform for which I get small revenues without cost to you) and subscribe to get my new stories by email. To consult about small jobs check my services page here. You can contact me here.

Nature
Wildlife
Photography
Gardening
Animals
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