Tag: pollinators

Triumph!

Photo of a black and white wasp climbing on a raspberry bud

I don’t know a lot about bugs but I count it as a win when I see a new native insect in my garden, especially a predator. I think this is Dolichovespula maculata, who goes by many names but the coolest one is blackjacket.

Our yard was all lawn when we moved here a couple years ago, and eerily devoid of bugs. I am feeling emotional that there are apparently enough flies and caterpillars now to support this terrifying new friend 😭

Bombus voz

Photo of a mostly black bumblebee flying towards a purple sage flower. The bee has a thin yellow stripe on their butt, yellow shoulders, and a furry yellow head.

Identifying my yard bumblebees continues with these very fast-moving and hard to photograph garden friends. I think this is Bombus vosnesenkii, the yellow-faced bumblebee.

The usual joke about bumblebees is that they meander slowly and bump into things. You know, bumble it up. But these seem to be what a peak performing bee physique looks like. Fast, precise, extensive pollination going on in my sage plant.

Big bombus

Photo of a fuzzy bumblebee feeding in purple sage flowers. The bee is black with two yellow stripes on the thorax and one yellow stripe on its butt.

More yard bumblebees … I started noticing them while doing an herbalism practice of visiting the same plants often to see what changed. Turns out different plants have different bumblebees (of course). These ones love the sage.

My best guess is Bombus flavifrons, the yellow-fronted bumblebee, but I’m going to try to hit up the BC Native Bee monthly zoom to get a more solid ID.

Update: several bee nerds agree this is more likely Bombus californicus. Related update: the BC Native Bee monthly study group is a lot of fun.

yellow-black-orange

Photo of a fuzzy bumblebee feeding on a raspberry blossom, with green leaves around it.

I have an energy impairment so i am always on the lookout for chill, seated projects you can do in brief sessions. Lately I’ve been trying to identify my various yard bumblebees .

I think this one is Bombus mixtus, the fuzzy-horned bumblebee. Their butt stripes go yellow-black-orange, they seem to be passionate about pollinating raspberries, and last year they nested under our compost heap.

These Bee ID Cards from the BC Native Bee Society have been the most helpful bumblebee field guides so far. I *love* focused guides for small regions, rather than wading through an encyclopedia of North American Insects.

I’m also very into these bee bingo cards from the BC Native Bee Society, because they have a separate card for wannabees. Yes! I wish all field guides included lookalike info.