Posts Tagged: Robbin Thorp
What's Better than Sighting a Bumble Bee?
What's better than sighting a yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii? Well, a newly emerged...
A newly emerged yellow-faced bumble bee queen, Bombus vosnesenskii, eyes the photographer as it forages on blanket flower (Gaillardia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Yellow-faced bumble bee shows its distinguishing marks. This is a queen Bombus vosnesenskii, about 21mm long. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Up and away! A distinguishing feature of Bombus vosnesenskii is the yellow stripe, T4 segment of its thorax. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
That Cuddly Teddy Bear Bee
Oh, that cuddly teddy bear. The male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, also known as...
A male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, sipping nectar from a broadleaf milkweed, Asclepias speciosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A male Valley carpenter bee, aka teddy bear bee, claims a blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Sweet stuff! A male Valley carpenter bee curls to grab some nectar from a broadleaf milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A monarch butterfly flutters in, but the male Valley carpenter bee refuses to budge. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bed and Breakfast for a Bumble Bee
We just met a male black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus. It was early morning and he was...
Male black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, resting on a blanket flower, Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Dorsal view of a male black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, on a blanket flower, Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Male black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, tastes the nectar from a blanket flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Most Unusual Photo
It's an incredible photo. Nicole "Nikki" Nicola, a staff research associate in the Frank Zalom lab...
Male and female of the same species, Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipunta, share a single passionflower blossom. The female is solid black and the male, a green-eyed blond. (Photo by Nicole Nicola)
A pollen-dusted female Valley carpenter bee exits the passionflower vine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, on a germander bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Who's the Boss of the Lavender?
Some folks refer to them as "those big, black scary bumble bees." They're not bumble bees. They're...
A Valley carpenter bee and a honey bee sharing the same lavender stem. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of the Valley carpenter bee. You can easily see the pollen dust on her. First and foremost, the Valley carpenter bee is a pollinator. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
"This is mine! This is all mine!" A Valley carpenter bee clings to the top of the lavender stem. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)