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Mason bee

Osmia

Stocky blue-black or metallic bee with dense pollen baskets. Superior native pollinator—more efficient than honeybees; nests in hollow stems and cavities.

Plants that support Mason bee

4 plants

California Hedgenettle

Stachys bullata

moderate

perennial herb

Native solitary bee genus foraging during spring and early summer

Bay Area native

Harvest Brodiaea

Brodiaea elegans

high

geophyte

Early spring forager May-June

Bay Area native

Narrowleaf mule ears

Wyethia angustifolia

moderate

perennial herb

Pollen collection for brood provisioning

Bay Area native

Red-flowering buckwheat

Eriogonum grande var. rubescens

moderate

perennial herb

Spring pollen foraging for nesting period

Bay Area native