 |
| Female Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens) |
Early mornings are about the only time I can get out into the pastures here and find good wildflower and insect images in August…plants are heavy with dew and (if you’re lucky) the wind isn’t blowing things around so badly. Recently, after photographing the native forbs (wildflowers) for a couple hours, I was about to head back to the studio because the breeze was now picking up, making the wildflower shots not so interesting. But I had one final self-assignment in mind - the Partridge Pea.
We have an amazing stand of Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) this summer, and I stopped to see what I could get before turning in for the morning. The mound I stopped at was alive with sound! Bumble Bees everywhere, on a feeding frenzy! The morning sun had cut through much of the dew so the blossoms were no longer drenched; the bees were taking advantage of the trove of pollen, now unlocked for the taking.
 |
| Female Brownbelted Bumble Bee (Bombus griseocollis) |
The genus Bombus - Bumble Bees. “Bombus” sounds so cool, and what bee is more cool than our native Bumble Bees?!
 | ||
| Female Brownbelted Bumble Bee (Bombus griseocollis) |
I have gotten better about delving in a bit more in recent years -
identifying different insects as they present themselves here in the
native prairie pastures. But I still have a long way to go.
 |
| Female American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus) |
I got a few “fair” images of some Bumble Bees in the Partridge Peas, and decided to see if I could identify their specific names. I found some great information on the Xerces.org web site for Bumble Bees in our region of NW Iowa - they’d have information of any other regions as well. Iowa’s Bumble Bees can be found at - https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/18-028_01_BB-of-Iowa_3FOLDbrochure_web.pdf
 |
| Female American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus) - honing in on it’s next Partridge Pea target! |
Yet even with the pdf chart provided by the Xerces Society, I was still hesitant to claim identities of each one I photographed successfully. I then came across a great Face Book site that is open for public participation, and I highly recommend it…they encourage interested folks like me to reach out and learn more.
 |
| Female American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus) - target acquired! |
Thank you to Judy Cardin - Admin of the Wisconsin/Midwest Bumble Bee Observers Face Book page, for her help and encouragement. I got a boost in Bombus spp. knowledge, and look forward to begin learning about all our Bumble Bee friends out here on the prairie!
Thanks for stopping by! Please be good to one another…we’re all in this together.
