Zach likes bees
@zachportman.bsky.social
Bee enthusiast and taxonomist
A perfect fuzzy boy from today (leafcutter bee, Megachile latimanus)
September 13, 2025 at 11:39 PM
A perfect fuzzy boy from today (leafcutter bee, Megachile latimanus)
A fuzzy rusty patched bumble bee boy from today. It's nice when they take the time to pose :)
August 11, 2025 at 5:54 AM
A fuzzy rusty patched bumble bee boy from today. It's nice when they take the time to pose :)
Native thistles are beloved by bees but criminally underappreciated by people.
Here is a native field thistle (Cirsium discolor) with a Bombus griseocollis (top) and Bombus bimaculatus (bottom) having an absolute blast.
Here is a native field thistle (Cirsium discolor) with a Bombus griseocollis (top) and Bombus bimaculatus (bottom) having an absolute blast.
August 5, 2025 at 4:15 AM
Native thistles are beloved by bees but criminally underappreciated by people.
Here is a native field thistle (Cirsium discolor) with a Bombus griseocollis (top) and Bombus bimaculatus (bottom) having an absolute blast.
Here is a native field thistle (Cirsium discolor) with a Bombus griseocollis (top) and Bombus bimaculatus (bottom) having an absolute blast.
Kind of hard to get a sense of scale, but here is a regular-sized auricomus worker on the same plant species.
July 28, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Kind of hard to get a sense of scale, but here is a regular-sized auricomus worker on the same plant species.
A small Bombus auricomus worker on Astragalus ☺️
Bombus auricomus workers are typically rather large, but occasionally you see a small one like this
Bombus auricomus workers are typically rather large, but occasionally you see a small one like this
July 28, 2025 at 6:11 AM
A small Bombus auricomus worker on Astragalus ☺️
Bombus auricomus workers are typically rather large, but occasionally you see a small one like this
Bombus auricomus workers are typically rather large, but occasionally you see a small one like this
Do you see the bee?
July 20, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Do you see the bee?
A gorgeous rusty patched bumblebee from today 😍
Now is the time when they really ramp up.
Now is the time when they really ramp up.
July 19, 2025 at 6:41 AM
A gorgeous rusty patched bumblebee from today 😍
Now is the time when they really ramp up.
Now is the time when they really ramp up.
Bombus auricomus on Astragalus canadensis.......an excellent bee on an excellent flower.
July 14, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Bombus auricomus on Astragalus canadensis.......an excellent bee on an excellent flower.
Rusty patched bumblebee from today ♥️
July 11, 2025 at 5:16 AM
Rusty patched bumblebee from today ♥️
Rusty patched bumblebee from today. Bit of a slow year for them so far but they are showing up at a couple of their regular spots. On non-native Sorbaria, of course.
July 7, 2025 at 11:41 PM
Rusty patched bumblebee from today. Bit of a slow year for them so far but they are showing up at a couple of their regular spots. On non-native Sorbaria, of course.
A tiny bedraggled Bombus pensylvanicus from today. A nice find...I see about 1 a year in the twin cities.
June 30, 2025 at 3:00 AM
A tiny bedraggled Bombus pensylvanicus from today. A nice find...I see about 1 a year in the twin cities.
Finally saw my first rusty patched bumblebees of the year 😍
June 28, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Finally saw my first rusty patched bumblebees of the year 😍
Colletes andrewsi -- a specialist on Heuchera. A good bee.
June 24, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Colletes andrewsi -- a specialist on Heuchera. A good bee.
Had an unexpected find in Minnesota today......an eastern carpenter bee male. It's not currently established in the state and this is only the third known sighting (the last sighting was in 2016).
June 15, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Had an unexpected find in Minnesota today......an eastern carpenter bee male. It's not currently established in the state and this is only the third known sighting (the last sighting was in 2016).
A big Bombus auricomus foraging on Baptisia, one of their all-time favorite foods
June 1, 2025 at 10:19 PM
A big Bombus auricomus foraging on Baptisia, one of their all-time favorite foods
Every time I get stumped by a tricky bumblebee on iNaturalist:
May 14, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Every time I get stumped by a tricky bumblebee on iNaturalist:
A Lasioglossum zephyrus nest in the cracks of a wall.....they absolutely love these types of walls where there is a little gap for them to access soil
May 11, 2025 at 5:31 AM
A Lasioglossum zephyrus nest in the cracks of a wall.....they absolutely love these types of walls where there is a little gap for them to access soil
A nice Andrena visiting ornamental barberry flowers 💮
May 11, 2025 at 5:23 AM
A nice Andrena visiting ornamental barberry flowers 💮
The Ohio buckeyes just started blooming and that mean Bombus auricomus queens. Possibly their favorite spring flower
May 6, 2025 at 5:22 AM
The Ohio buckeyes just started blooming and that mean Bombus auricomus queens. Possibly their favorite spring flower
Colletes inaequalis in her nest. A good bee :)
May 5, 2025 at 4:52 AM
Colletes inaequalis in her nest. A good bee :)
A wee sweat bee, Lasioglossum zephyrus, in her nest
This aggregation suddenly became active....no nests yesterday and then a bunch today
This aggregation suddenly became active....no nests yesterday and then a bunch today
May 2, 2025 at 2:16 AM
A wee sweat bee, Lasioglossum zephyrus, in her nest
This aggregation suddenly became active....no nests yesterday and then a bunch today
This aggregation suddenly became active....no nests yesterday and then a bunch today
It's strawberry time! Featuring a teensy tiny sweat bee.
May 1, 2025 at 4:43 AM
It's strawberry time! Featuring a teensy tiny sweat bee.
A lovely green bee in the Augochlorella aurata complex visiting an early-blooming Geranium 💮
May 1, 2025 at 4:40 AM
A lovely green bee in the Augochlorella aurata complex visiting an early-blooming Geranium 💮
Another Colletes inaequalis nest from today, this one with a nice tumulus of white sand from the nest excavation
April 28, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Another Colletes inaequalis nest from today, this one with a nice tumulus of white sand from the nest excavation
A couple of Colletes inaequalis in a nesting aggregation. The male kept trying unsuccessfully to enter nests....poor guy
April 28, 2025 at 2:59 AM
A couple of Colletes inaequalis in a nesting aggregation. The male kept trying unsuccessfully to enter nests....poor guy