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#NativePollinators

Tomfirephoto
2025-05-11

Bombus vagans, half-black bumblebee, on the rhubarb flowers.

A large bumble bee, likely a queen, on rhubarb flowers. It is black and yellow and furry.A large bumble bee in flight near rhubarb flowers. It is black and yellow and furry.A large bumble bee on rhubarb flowers. It is upside down on the bottom of the flower clusters facing away from the camera. It just appears dark looking.
Tomfirephoto
2025-05-11

More pics.

The bee insect facing away from the camera, wings up, on a leaf showing the color of the yellow on the abdomen.The bee facing upwards, back to the camera, it has a very narrow waist.The bee facing left, wings covering it's absomen completely and making the color appear amber like. The hairs could be slightly yellow on it's legs and some parts.The bee facing downward to the left, wings covering the abdomen, The eyes are dark, the thorax is black, the wing attachment is black, the spindle bush flowers are kind of yellowy green.
Tomfirephoto
2025-05-11

Looks like it's the Dielis pilipes, Hairy-footed Scoliid Wasp!

These bees live in the ground, maybe sorta solitary but in communities? Lots of holes in the dry sandy silt ground where they live. The fly around in patterns around the nests. I thought maybe some sort of cuckoo bee but I'm not sure. They're big, about 25mm long. Some kind of bee, wasp, hornet. More pics in the reply.

A bee like insect on Euonymus alatus flowers. It is light yellow and black striped with grey hairs, dark legs, very long thick antennae, and dark translucent wings. It is about an inch long. It is facing up and to the right, has it's wings held above it's back.The bee facing to the right and the underside of it's abdomen visible.The bee showing it's grey fur on it's thorax.The bee facing to the right and up and towards the camera slightly. It's antennae are probably 12mm long or more.
Tomfirephoto
2025-05-06

Wide-striped Sweat Bee, Halictus farinosus. maybe. On the rhubarb flowers.

A small bee on rhubarb flowers. It is black and yellow, a bit furry, and has pollen stuck to various parts of itself. The legs are light colored or yellow/tan. The wings are dark and translucent. It is facing up and to the right away from the camera.A small bee on rhubarb flowers. It is black and yellow, a bit furry, and has pollen stuck to various parts of itself. The legs are light colored or yellow/tan. The wings are dark and translucent. It is facing up and to the right. A small bee on rhubarb flowers. It is black and yellow, a bit furry, and has pollen stuck to various parts of itself. The legs are light colored or yellow/tan. The wings are dark and translucent. It is facing away from the camera on top of the flowers and to the left slightly. It's wings are sticking upA small bee on rhubarb flowers. It is in the shadow of the flowers facing up, left side to the camera.
Tomfirephoto
2025-05-06

*edit @Spaceways Suggested a Yellow-haired Sun Fly, Myathropa florea, the Batman hoverfly, and they have been identified in the region, and it really looks like one.
...

Some kind of drone fly I guess. Seems more yellow than most of the photos of the 'Common' one. It's on a chokecherry blossom.

A photo of a large hoverfly on a chokecherry flower. The fly is black and yellow.
Tomfirephoto
2025-05-01

Another Syrphus ribesii hoverfly. This one seemed a little smaller but I think it's the same. Could be female vs male differences.

A small hoverfly on a hazel leaf. It has reddish eyes, a bronze thorax, black and yellow abdomen, and sort of golden colored legs.
Tomfirephoto
2025-04-30

Syrphus ribesii hoverfly enjoying the sun on the black currant.

A photo of a hoverfly on a black currant leaf in the sun. It is facing to the right with it's back visible.
Tomfirephoto
2025-04-19

Looks like a Western Blue Orchard Mason Bee, Osmia lignaria ssp. propinqua, in the 40+ year old Gravenstein apple tree.

A photo showing a small furry black bee on an apple blossom in the evening sun. The blossom is about 2 inches across or 50 mm.A photo of the small black bee on a different apple blossom, partially shaded. It has an iridescent blue color to it.The small black mason bee on an apple blossom in the shade. There are many other open blossoms around it.
Tomfirephoto
2025-04-18

I rescued a bumble bee that was stuck in the chicken coop. Looks like a Western Bumble Bee, Bombus occidentalis. I also saw 4 or maybe 5 Ashy Digger bees in one clove currant bush. I'm not sure I ever saw more than one at once last year.

A photo of a large queen bumblebee in a jar that's a little dusty. It was trapped inside a screened chicken coop when it was caught so it could be documented and then set free. It was about 20mm in length or more. It has a black head, front half yellow thorax, back half thorax to T4 abdomen black, and then a white band is visible but the rest of the abdomen is not visible but there is was more white.
Tomfirephoto
2025-04-16

A small native pollinator on the Imperial Epineuse Plum, Prunus domestica.

A photo showing a single plum blossom with a tiny bee on one of the petals. The flower is white with 5 petals. The bee is black with a gold/yellow and black striped abdomen.
Tomfirephoto
2025-04-15

Unidentified black bee with pollen on the clove currants. North Central Washington State.

A black somewhat fury bee on a clove currant flower. The bee has a large blob of yellowish pollen on it's hind leg. The flowers are yellow.The black bee in flight facing to the left.
Tomfirephoto
2025-04-15

The Ashy Digger bee, Habropoda cineraria, on the clove currants.

A cropped photo of a very fast fury gray bee with a long nose and tongue. It has gray fur and some tan looking fur underneath, and some shiny black spots. It is in flight facing left.The Ashy digger bee on a clove currant flower. It is curled around the flower vertically facing to the left. The flower is yellow and there are small leaves around.The bee on another flower facing away from the camera. It is oriented vertically. There are more yellow flowers and leaves visible. The back of the bee is seen and the wings folded along it's abdomen.The bee in flight facing away from the camera at a flower. It's butt is black and shiny and pointed.
Carolanniecarolannie@c.im
2024-12-09

Dandelions are not good for native pollinators. Try another tack to excuse not weeding.
#NativePlants #NativePollinators #Ecosystems #Sustainabilty #Resilience
cleannorth.org/2021/04/08/the-

Tomfirephoto
2024-10-14

Saw a bumblebee on the ground by the beehives and picked it up to put it in the sun. It flew away not long after getting a little sunshine. I figured it was a male bee so I wasn't worried about getting stung but I think it might actually be a Bombus Vagans queen. The half-black bumblebee.

A yellow and black bumblebee on a persons left index finger. The bee is about 0.75 in / 20 mm in size. It has translucent black wings. It is facing left with the sun behind it.A yellow and black bumblebee on a persons left index finger. The bee is about 0.75 in / 20 mm in size. It has translucent black wings. It is facing left with the sun in front of it and the view is of it's left side.A yellow and black bumblebee on a persons left index finger. The bee is about 0.75 in / 20 mm in size. It has translucent black wings. It is facing left with the sun in front of it and the view is more down on it's back.
Tomfirephoto
2024-09-17

Bombus vagans on a zinnia flower.

A female bumblebee on a red zinnia flower. The bee has pollen on it's hind leg so it is a worker or a queen. It is on top of the small yellow florets at the tip of the zinnia. The zinnia petals have some silver birch seeds or husks on them.
Tomfirephoto
2024-09-17

A Syrphus hoverfly on a rudbeckia flower.

A small hoverfly on a rudbeckia hirta that has curved yellow petals. The petals curve to the left as seen from above. The center of the flower is brown and raised. There are tiny florets on the edge of the center near the petals.
Tomfirephoto
2024-09-12

The goldenrod is busy with bees and locust borers.

A half-black bumblebee on goldenrod flowers. The bee is yellow and black and somewhat small. It is probably a male bee.Bumblebees and locust borers on goldenrod flowers.A locust borer on goldenrod flowers, it is black with yellow stripes. There are other borers and bees in the background.
Toad64Toad64@peoplemaking.games
2024-09-06

My wife and I have started the large task of getting rid of the lawn in our back yard and replacing it with native plants! Tilling chunks at a time. Put some coneflowers in, and some Joe Pye Weed going in next!
#NativePlants #NoLawn #NativePollinators

Photo of our back yard, my wife standing in the distance, a large chunk of lawn rolled to dirt.Photo of coneflowers planted in our freshly tilled backyard
Tomfirephoto
2024-09-04

Bees sleeping last night and a leafcutter on the rudbeckia this morning. Melissodes agilis and some kind of Megachile.

Possibly a leafcutter bee but could be a long horned. It is sleeping on a sunflower at night.A long horned native bee sleeping on a sunflower. It is illuminated by a mobile phone light. It has long antennae, generally tan and black striped, and a little bit furry.A leafcutter bee on a rudbeckia hirta flower. It has the tip of it's abdomen extended up into the air as it moves around on the flower. The flower has curled yellow petals and a dark center that protrudes.A leafcutter bee on a rudbeckia hirta flower. The bottom of it's abdomen is covered with yellow pollen. It is flying away. It is sort of grey and black striped and slightly furry.
Tomfirephoto
2024-09-02

Probably some kind of furrow bee, Genus Halictus, on a calendula flower.

A small native bee on a yellow flower facing right. The bee is more black than yellow and is a little furry. The flower petals are pale yellow and the center is more orange.The bee is facing to the left. The camera showed a bit of rolling shutter on the wings which appear curved as well as the shadow of the right wing.

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