I visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in February, hoping to find two of my favorite subjects to photograph: butterflies and native bees. This was my third visit to the Museum. The descriptive noun Museum is, in my opinion a misnomer, when one considers the breadth of all that the grounds contain. Living animals are not… Continue reading Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Category: Nature
Western Bumble Bee
Bombus occidentalis, the Western Bumble Bee, has several color forms or patterns. Color forms refer the coloration of the bumble bee with respect to the location of the hairs on its body. Solid areas of colors often present as bands; sometimes they can also take the form of patches or spots. If two hair colors… Continue reading Western Bumble Bee
California Bumble Bee
The photos above are of three female California bumble bees. The bee at the upper left is feeding on flowers of Verbena de la Mina in my backyard. It may be difficult to see, but she has inserted her tongue into a flower to feed on nectar. I photographed the two bumble bees at the… Continue reading California Bumble Bee
Yellow-faced Bumble Bee
The Yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, is common in coastal southern California. The bumble bee featured in the first two photographs might have been a recently emerged queen based upon her large size and the date. I photographed her on March 25, and again on April 3, 2024. On those dates she visited a large… Continue reading Yellow-faced Bumble Bee