Anthophora Urbana

 The Anthophora Urbana is a solitary bee that can be found in this area. They are a member of the genus Anthophora, a large genus in the Apidae family. They do not live in hives like honey bees. Instead they live in solitary holes that they dig in the soil. Often numerous bees will have burrows in the same area. I commonly find these at Crex Meadows, where I took this photo. Crex has a good number of sand prairies which are excellent habitat for this species. The sand makes it easier to dig burrows and there are plenty of flowers to get nectar from. This bee is perched on butterfly weed. A common form of milkweed with bright orange flowers. As its name would suggest butterfly weed is good at attracting butterflies and other nectar eating insects.