“Making more Mesoxaea texana on the South Texas Sand Sheet”

by C. M. Rich, Texas Master Naturalist

Female: Shiny, black eyes ~~~ Male: Green, jewel-toned eyes

When I first encountered these two rare bees, they were in flight.

In fact, they flew right in front of me, and I almost ran into them.

I was confused as to what I was seeing.

Front view of the two, conjoined Mesoxaea texana in the act of copulation.

Initially, these two rare bees appeared to be a very long insect flying about three (3) feet above the ground.

It took me a few seconds to realize that this “really long insect” I had nearly bumped into was actual two Mesoxaea texana—conjoined—while in flight.

The Texas native plant these two Mesoxaea texana alighted on was a Salvia ballotiflora, also known as Shrubby Blue Sage.

By the way, this plant has been observed to be a favorite nectar and pollen source for them.

These two remained conjoined for quite some time.

Rough estimates, based on the metadata for all images and videos taken that day, suggest that they were in this state for approximately several minutes.

I have been stewarding this land for these bees since the Fall of 2020.

Their watch, care, and preservation has turned into one of the main “Passion Projects” of this chapter of my life.

Stay tuned. There is definitely more to come.

Thanks for your time!

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