Utah Pollinator Pursuit - May Highlights
Hey Pollinator Pals!
May has treated us well here in the beehive state, with warm afternoons and enough rain to keep the gardens lush. With this rise in temperatures, we’ve also seen a flurry of pollinator activity!
This month, our incredible community scientists have logged 1,464 pollinator observations across Utah! Our top three species include the Hunt’s Bumble Bee, Painted Lady, and White-lined Sphinx.
We also had some pretty exciting observations this month, including:
- Utah’s first monarch observation of the year! Observed by Christi Nielson in Lehi, UT. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled and log your monarch observations here and in Journey North for the chance to win $50 as part of the Friends of Monarchs Annual Photo Contest.
- Western Bumble bees are a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Utah, with populations in decline across the West. In May, we had 4 observations of these intriguing bumble bees - shared by hmunson, jonbkoch, and charity56.
- We loved this great observation from Tyson Fullmer that shows the fascinating nesting behavoir of digger bees!
- This Hairy-horned Bromeliad Fly shared by Robb Hannawacker. Be sure to check out all of Robb’s beautiful photos for some nature inspiration!
Klaus Bielefeldt was our top observer of the month, logging 62 observations representing 20 species, while John S. Ascher was our top identifier of the month, contributing 121 IDs.
Thank you to everyone who shares their time and expertise to contribute to this growing database! Your observations and IDs add significant value to pollinator conservation here in Utah, and we’re beyond grateful for your dedication.
We’re looking forward to seeing how many pollinators this community will log in June!
Happy Pollinator Pursuing!
The Utah Pollinator Pursuit Team
Utah Pollinator Pursuit is a cooperative project between Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Sageland Collaborative, and Utah State University. Learn more and find volunteer resources and additional opportunities to get involved at utahpollinatorpursuit.org or on the project page at sagelandcollaborative.org/plants-pollinators.
