Have I arrived at the correct ID for Friday's new pollinator? I'm not sure that I'll ever know. I think I've gotten close (I'd be happy with genus) and that's good enough for me for the time being. Is it listed on the Bees of New York State list? Yes. Does this Cuckoo Bee look a lot like the bees photographed here and here with similar wings and coloring? Yes. My first source though was the Peterson Field Guide, Insects, which sent me searching for bees in the Epeolini tribe because they were described as being relatively bare and wasplike in appearance and the drawing in the book looked a lot like the pollinator I had seen and photographed in my garden. Maybe when my camera is fixed or I graduate to a better model, I'll see this bee again and get to know it more closely. But sometimes even the less than perfect shots without zoom reveal details and angles that are useful. The real fun is all in the hunt, in the watching and studying, in the looking closely at these small creatures outside and searching for clues as to who they are.
For some really amazing photos of some other Brooklyn pollinators visit this recent post by Flatbush Gardener.
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