Bees in My Backyard

As a fan of native plants, it's been interesting to start identifying native bees. As different plants bloom through the summer, the bee visitors change as well.

Early in July, this metallic green bee (?Agapostemon) frequently visited the spiderwort (Tradescantia)

In mid and late July, Bombus bimaculata visited the bee balm (Monarda). This long-tongued humble bee can get the nectar at the bottom of the tiny tubular flowers.













(July 17, 2008)
In August, the prairie dock stated their annual show. Short-tonged B. impatiens were common.












(August 9, 2008)
Some species others were repeat visitors. Carpenter bees (Xylocopa) were eager visitors to swamp milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) and a gray-striped bee (?Megachile) visited several plant, including butterfly milkweed (A. tuberosa.)