Posts Tagged: Robbin Thorp
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)
No Sweat? Yes, Sweat!
Ever seen a mob of tiny sweat bees? The bees below, from the genus Lasioglossum (as...
Sweat bees from the genus Lasioglossum on an Iceland poppy. This image was taken with a NIkon D800 with a 60mm macro lens. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of sweat bees from the genus Lasioglossum on an Iceland poppy. This photo was taken with a Canon MPE-65mm lens. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Why This Bumble Bee Is a Treasure
It's so blond that all you can say is "Wow!" It's sort of like the Reese Witherspoon of bumble...
A male Bombus vandykei,also known as the Van Dyke Bumble Bee, forages on lavender in Vacaville, Calif. on May 17. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A natural blond! A male bumble bee known as the Van Dyke Bumble Bee, Bombus vandykei, sips nectar from lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A dorsal view of the male bumble bee, Bombus vandykei, foraging on lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Welcome, Teddy Bear Bee
If you've never seen the "teddy bear bee," keep an eye out for it. A fuzzy golden bee with green...
A male Valley carpenter bee (Xylocopa varipuncta)sips nectar from a foothill penstemon, (Penstemon heterophyllus) in the Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The male Valley carpenter bee twists to look at the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The male valley carpenter bee, aka "teddy bee," straddles a penstemon. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Day the First Bumble Bee Arrived
When the monarchs return to southern California and central Mexico to overwinter, the residents...
Yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii), foraging on verbena. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Its wings glistening, the yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, sips nectar.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)