In spring, from mid-April until mid-May, you'll find what appear to be one centimetre-high 'volcanoes' of sandy soil at many locations throughout the university - including the area around the trees outside the library. They are the entrance holes to the nests of this mining bee, which excavates a chamber underground where it lays its egg and provisions it with pollen collected from spring-flowering plants like dandelion. The larva develops underground on its subterranean food store, pupates and then emerges in the following spring, to begin the cycle again. This species is an important pollinator of fruit trees and also has a fondness for gooseberry blossom.
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