Each time I photograph a new insect in my garden it feels like unlocking a piece of a mystery. This issue’s enigma: a diminutive, fuzzy bee, dusted with orange pollen and basking in the radiant July morning light on a matching orange sulphur cosmos bloom.
Despite my best efforts: consulting iNaturalist, flipping through my new Common Bees of Western North America guide – I couldn’t pin down this little apidae’s identity. Its elusive charm only deepened the intrigue, reminding me of the countless hidden pollinators buzzing quietly among our backyard blooms.
Next time you’re near a sunflower, pause. Watch the bustling honeybees, the stumbling bumblebees, and, if you’re patient, the tiny, solitary gems like the metallic green sweat bees in the family halictidae, or perhaps leafcutter, mason, or resin bees in the family megachilidae. They are easy to overlook, but vital to our garden ecosystems.
Do you have a guess at this bee’s identity? Drop me a note—I’d love to solve this garden mystery!
Oregon State University Extension
