A wild Passiflora lutea vine was being pollinated by a Protandrena (Anthemurgus) passiflorae (the passionflower bee) in Norman, Oklahoma, United States on August 6, 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthemurgus
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Protandrena (Anthemurgus) passiflorae (the passionflower bee) is a small (7.5-8.5 mm long) black bee that occurs from central Texas to North Carolina and north to Illinois.[1] Females of this solitary bee use collected nectar and pollen to feed larvae located in nests constructed in the ground (through mass provisioning). This uncommon bee is unusual for two reasons: first, the only known pollen host is a single species—the yellow passionflower (Passiflora lutea) (such specialization is called oligolecty); second, because of its size and foraging habits, the passionflower bee is thought to contribute little or nothing toward the pollination of its host plant.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligolecty "The term oligolecty is used in pollination ecology to refer to bees that exhibit a narrow, specialized preference for pollen sources, typically to a single family or genus of flowering plants."
More about this plant is at https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=palu2 Passiflora lutea
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#Passiflora lutea #pollinated by Protandrena (Anthemurgus) passiflorae (the #passionflower #bee) in Norman, #Oklahoma, US on Aug. 6, 2025
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#nativeplants #nativebee #oligolecty #naturephotography #pollinator