hairy footed flower bee Anthophora plumipes. Female, in flight approaching a pulmonaria flower. Females are black.

---

A. plumipes can be found in a variety of habitats, including most gardens, between March and late May. It looks like a small bumblebee, either black (female) or brown (male) but is clearly distinguished from the bumblebees by its flight. It moves very swiftly then stops, hovering for a moment, in front of its chosen flower. This is very different from the slow, steady flight of the bumblebees

---

Size: 5100px × 3387px
Location: Oxfordshire UK
Photo credit: © Julian Brooks / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: action, beating, bee, bee-fly, buzzing, close, close-, closeup, colourful, cu, digger, dweller, early, flight, flower, flying, footed, hairy, hole, insect, nectar, pollenating, pollenator, pulmonaria, spring, wings