Here’s your chance to join the collaborative effort to help conserve an important North American pollinator – the bumble bee.
The Bumble Bee Watch is asking individuals to help them track North American bumble bees by uploading photographs to their virtual bee collection. There, you can identify the bumble bee in your photo and have it verified by experts. Check it out at bumblebeewatch.org. You can also help protect our pollinators with some expert advice from the Zerces Society Conservation Campaign.
Every time I see bumble bees, I can’t help but stop and marvel at the elegance of these small, and rather adorable, creatures. They work day after day, flying from flower to flower all while pollinating our plants. I took the following photograph recently at a beautiful wedding in the Laurentians (Quebec, Canada). I wish I could tell you where this gorgeous garden was but, alas, it is a private garden.
I’ve submitted my photograph and hope to take a few more. I had a hard time figuring out what species this bumble bee belongs to. Who knew there were so many species! You learn something new every day. If you have some expertise, please let me know what species this is.
There is a lot more we can do for our planet, but joining the bumble bee watch is one easy step to take!
Will you join me in marrying travel, art, and science, and help track the humble bumble bee?
Did you see any of the bumble bees headbutting? Apparently they do that in times of danger!
How did you get the bee to stay in one place for so long?
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I’ve heard about the complex way bumble bees communicate. Thanks for sharing the one about headbutting! Getting a photo of a bee involves staying quiet and still and taking lots of photographs (because most are out of focus because they’re always on the move!).
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My 8 year old had a class where they studied insects. He was immediate drawn to bumble bees and insisted that his 1 year old little sister dress up like one for Halloween. Thanks for posting and for the information. I will let my son know about this initiative and we will be sure to post any pictures we find of the humble bumble bee.
Cheers!
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That’s great! So glad he’s interested in bumble bees, perhaps he’ll be a future conservation expert!
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Thanks for checking out my blog over at http://treefishing.com/2014/09/01/travelers-welcome/.
I followed your advice and signed up with the Bumble Bee Watch and submitted three of my bee photos. That was really very cool. I’ve never done anything like that before. Thank you!
On a different note: you have a lovely blog! I’ve really been enjoying your posts.
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Thanks for stopping by Ellen! So glad you were able to submit your bee photos. Your photo was truly stunning. Did you know there were so many species of bumble bees? I sure didn’t!
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I’m with you… I had now idea. I love the identification charts. Who would have thought that there were so many tiny bee details to distinguish one from the other.
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I’ve learned something new… my bumblebee turned out to be a carpenter bee. Apparently they are easily confused, but it seems that one of the defining characteristics is that the carpenter bee has a shiny abdomen and the bumblebee’s abdomen is uniformly hairy. Who knew!
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Thanks for the update Ellen; We learn something new every day! Mine has been reported as “Bombus perplexus” – confusing bumble bee. At first I thought it meant it was not identifiable but Bombus perplexus is a real species. Glad we can share the fun through this neat project 🙂
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