The return of the warm weather this week means it's time to get back on the water! Next time you are headed out to a marsh, bring your net and/or camera and help us learn more about the distribution of two Pickerelweed specialists: https://val.vtecostudies.org/projects/vtbees/pontederia/
If you need ideas on places to go, explore the pickerelweed map on iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/52599-Pontederia-cordata
From the 12' plants in some gardens to the knee-high Woodland Sunflowers in hot, rocky forests, the genus Helianthus is diverse and abundant. The same could be said for its bee visitors. There are specialist bees in at least three genera, with several field-identifiable species that may occur in VT but haven’t yet been found. Its worth checking a variety of species and/or cultivars since there seems to be some segregation of the bees depending on the plant species/morphology.
If I had to choose one species to exemplify the goals of the VT Wild Bee Survey, it would be the Parnassia Miner (Andrena parnassiae). This previously poorly known species is a denizen of rich fens in the Northeastern US, with VT now accounting for a large percentage of the global records of this species. The only way to find this species is to find its host plant, which occurs primarily east of the Greens and in the Valley of VT.
If you are lucky enough to have the plant near you, the bee is likely present and relatively easy to ID from photos. Read more about it and see pictures here: https://val.vtecostudies.org/projects/vtbees/Andrena-parnassiae/
They are hard to miss right now and one of the best bee flowers in the fall. Beloved by a number of specialist and generalist species, they are a great place to find rare cleptoparasites as well as common, relatively distinctive specialists. If you spend enough time looking at goldenrods, you will notice some have very few bees, while others are loaded. We still have a lot to learn about the exact needs of these bees. There are dozens of goldenrod species in the state and we know very little about the species specific preferences for any of these bees. Additionally, soil characteristics can play a big role in determining which bees are present at a site. In general, sandier sites will have high diversity, which means the best chance for finding interesting bees is often along rivers (either current or ancient).
As usual, images and descriptions for many of our goldenrod specialists can be found here:
https://val.vtecostudies.org/projects/vtbees/goldenrod/
