2019 Survey Season - Thank You!
Thanks to all of you, 2019 was a great first year! Together, made some pretty impressive strides towards bumble bee conservation in Nebraska! As you'll see in the graphics to follow, nearly half of all grid cells have been adopted, over 600 bumble bees were observed on 68 different plants, and 60 valuable habitat surveys were submitted!
We know many of you were unable to complete formal surveys in 2019 due to the late season start, but hopefully this summary will help inspire you for 2020!
We know many of you were unable to complete formal surveys in 2019 due to the late season start, but hopefully this summary will help inspire you for 2020!
Photos: Nebraska Department of Transportation / Mercy Manzanares; Xerces Society / Jennifer Hopwood, Katie Lamke
Grid Adoption & Survey Submissions
- 71 people have adopted one (or more!) grid cells - Exciting to see so many people eager to help conserve bees!
- 39 out of 78 total grid cells have been adopted - Amazing, that's nearly 50%!
- 26 of the 39 adopted grid cells are classified as High Interest - Very good to see, as these "High Interest" cells are our sampling priority!
- 60 habitat surveys were submitted from 23 different grid cells - This is valuable information that will improve our conservation strategies!
- 600+ bumble bee observations were made, representing 10 different species - See more in the following section!
- If you still have data submit, it's not too late: Bumble Bee Data or Habitat Data
Bumble Bee Observations
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Flowering Plant Observations
Some plants attracted lots of bees...
Other plants attracted lots of different species...
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Photography Highlights
Taking high quality photographs of chilled bumble bees is no easy task, but Atlas participants really improved their skill in 2019! Below we've selected a few photos taken in 2019 that display proper detail for identifying. Note how each photo has a high-contrast white background and a top-down, or side, view of the bee. Click each photo to see the full submission on Bumble Bee Watch!
Southern Plains Bumble Bee
Bombus fraternus Bumble Bee Watch / K. Hayden American Bumble Bee
Bombus pensylvanicus Bumble Bee Watch / S. Jenkins |
Brown-belted Bumble Bee
Bombus griseocollis Bumble Bee Watch / T. Kyster Common Eastern Bumble Bee
Bombus impatiens Bumble Bee Watch / A. Stevens |
Hunt Bumble Bee
Bombus huntii Bumble Bee Watch / K. Lamke American Bumble Bee
Bombus pensylvanicus Bumble Bee Watch / P. Slatin |
Fun Finds!
Surveying the natural world creates space to observe some pretty neat things. Below, we've highlighted a few photographs of noteworthy observations from Atlas participants. Click each photo to see the full submission on Bumble Bee Watch!
A queen Two-spotted Bumble Bee (Bombus bimaculatus) emerging in early spring!
Bumble Bee Watch / M. Pecha |
A male Lemon Cuckoo Bumble Bee (Bombus citrinus) observed in north east Nebraska!
Bumble Bee Watch / A. Dather |
A male American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus) interacting with a male mining bee!
Bumble Bee Watch / N. Bjorklund |
Cover Photo: Nebraska Department of Transportation / Mercy Manzanares