Northern colletes  (Colletes floralis)

This bee is scarcely but widely distributed across Europe (2), being known from the Atlantic fringes of Ireland, Scotland and northern England, southern Norway, and scattered in Sweden and Finland (4). Elsewhere, it is restricted to alpine habitats in central Europe, the Pyrenees and the Balkans (4). In the United Kingdom, it is present mainly on the western isles of Scotland, including the islands of the Outer Hebrides, as well as in Northern Ireland and on the Cumbrian coast (3) (4). It inhabits low altitudes in northern regions but mountainous regions further south (3). Whilst it is rare due to its restricted habitat preference, this solitary bee is known to be locally abundant at some sites (3).

On the Scottish island locations, it populates machair grasslands which have an abundance of flowers and are based on shelly soils (2). It appears to prefer nesting on gentle, southerly-facing slopes where vegetation is low and sparse, and is only active when warm (2).