Hi, everyone! I'm trying to help the pollinators and I figure I ought to know which bees are coming around in case there's something I can do to help them. Today, I noticed a fair amount of small bees on my Dune Sunflowers (Helianthus debilis) and Blanket Flowers (Gaillardia pulchella). Some of them looked a little bigger than the others, but I "think" they're all the same kind. If not, go ahead and correct me. I'm just trying to post the clearest photos so I'm sorry if they're two different bees.
Hi Melanie,
Looks like Halictus poeyi, a native sweat bee. Here's a link to an interesting article(NEW BACKYARD BUG: HALICTUS POEYI) http://benkolstad.net/?p=5020
"My work is loving the world. Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird — equal seekers of sweetness. Here the clam deep in the speckled sand. Are my boots old? Is my coat torn? Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me keep my mind on what matters, which is my work which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished." — Mary Oliver, from Messenger
