Bryony Mining Bee (Andrena florea)

I spend much of the autumn/winter period identifying and cataloguing photographs and videos taken over recent seasons. Every now and then I get an unexpected surprise.

In the UK, A. florea is a listed nationally rare (RDB3) bee which can only be found in the South East corner of the country, on a local basis.

It's the only Andrena species in the country to rely on a single plant species for pollen (White Byrony) although it will search for nectar on certain other plants.

Unfortunately, with so many insects buzzing around the garden in June when this photo was taken, I didn't register how different it looked from most others. This was the only image.

It prefers sandy soils, including the edges of heathland, parkland, open clearings and the margins of woodland, and roadside verges and can be found, if you're lucky, in a single generation between May and July.