#blue calamintha bee

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Blue calamintha bee

Image © Levon Biss, courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History

[the-torchwood-magician]

I do!!

Dunno lots about them because I recently found out but I love bees so

There's the Blue Carpenter Bee (or Xylocopa Caerula), they're native to Southeast Asia, India and China and are fuzzy little babies. They look like this:

Then there are Blue Calamintha Bees (or Osima Calaminthae) and are native to somewhere in Florida, it seems. They look like this:

Lastly, there are Orchid Mason Bees (or Osmia Iignaria) and are native to North America. They look like this:

Hai did you know there are blue bees, and not only that, but three different types?

i knew of blue bees but three different types?? That's a lot /pos

wanna tell me more about it?

[bunnis-monsters]

Fun bee fact, there's a rare breed of bees called the "Osmia Calaminthae" or the "Blue Calamintha Bee". They're the only bee to be the color blue because of the flower they feed from which is the "Ashe's Calamint" a type of mint native to Florida which is the only state they can be found in

AHH they’re so pretty!!

[tintinntabuli]

The Lantana and Verbena Report: Did they attract pollinators as you promised?

(L) Coleus in front of ‘Little Joe’ Joe Pye Weed; (R) Persian Shield with sweet potato vine.

About a year ago I asked you guys – the savvy, experienced gardeners who read this blog – for what “Potted Annuals for Pollinators” you’d recommend. I was unhappy with some annuals I’d been growing near my front door – which do soooo well but attract nothing. But what could I grow instead, here and in the tomato-red pots in my back garden where the ‘Standing Ovation’ Little Bluestem weren’t standing after all, and were so lackluster that even a commenter here on the Rant called them “underwhelming”? The truth hurts!

(I’m keeping the Persian Shield+sweet potato vine combo shown above despite their lack of appeal for pollinators (though holes in the vine tell me it’s supporting something). Look how great they still looked on November 1 when this photo was taken! And in this spot very close to my front door, I’m okay with no flowers and no bees, which I don’t want in my house.)

Back to the question I asked readers – out of concern for wildlife, sure, but also, selfishly, so that I could enjoy watching them from my patio – your answers were almost thrilling in the possibilities they opened up for this old gardener.

You suggested:

Annuals: Salvia ‘Lady in Red,’ butterfly sage (Salvia guaranitica), Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’, blue salvias generally, lantana (several votes), verbena, verbena bonariensis, pentas, ‘African Blue’ basil, bronze fennel, zinnias, Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) (several votes), ‘Truffela Pinks’ Gomphrena, Lacy Phacelia, Teddy Bear sunflowers.Perennials: Red Valerian, lavender, Calamintha nepeta, single dahlias, catmints, gaillardias, “almost anything in the mint family, which includes Salvias,” wax begonias for hummingbirds, and as a filler, small hostas like ‘Golden Tiara’ or ‘Rainbows End.’

Wow!

What I Bought – Lantana ‘Red Spread’

After reading Ranter Elizabeth’s praise for the annuals she buys online, I chose one of her favorite suppliers (Select Seeds) and ordered some lantanas, and boy, did they perform! They bloomed like crazy until the first hard frost, and the growth pattern is perfect – mostly horizontal, so there’s need to hack them back to prevent flopping. I love the bold, vibrant color! Another wonderful surprise is that they don’t need deadheading. Not only do they bloom just fine without it, but the dying blooms (above) still look good right up until they fall off, so why bother?

Pollinator-wise, they performed like the champs you guys promised they’d be. Honestly I’d need a much better camera to capture the critters in stills, but I took videos throughout the season and I’ll have a short compilation to show you soon. (Preview: it’s the hummingbirds, sometimes two at a time, that steal the show.)

Here in my back garden, by mid-July I’d given up on the grasses in these pots and replaced them with some ‘Havana Red Sky’ lantanas that I found at my local farmer’s market. They took off right away and at the end of the season they were this size. And what a great match for the pots!

I was also happy to learn that lantanas are less thirsty than other annuals – I don’t think I ever saw them wilt.

What I Bought – Verbenas

The other completely new-to-me plant I bought from Select Seeds is this ‘Vanity’ verbena, which did attract some bees and butterflies but didn’t have much impact in my border. I’m going to try a shorter, bushier variety next time.

Extended Season for Pollinators – Done!

My tiny front garden was already attracting critters to the Joe Pye Weed, bronze fennel, Nepeta and wood aster, but with the addition of tropical annuals like verbena and especially lantana, the wildlife action now goes on continuously for a very long season.

Happier Gardener – Done!

So yeah, I love upping my garden’s game at performing important eco-services, like supporting pollinators.

But I’ll tell ya, adding SO many flowers to this small space outside my front door, near the patio where I sit and gaze upon the garden – that’s been thrilling! The combination of floral beauty with stunning insects swarming over them in the sun. You could say it’s upped my mental well-being.

Flowers just make us happy! They attract people to gardening and then reward their efforts with beauty to be enjoyed by them and their family and visitors.

Next month I’ll be ordering even more of your suggestions, for planting in pots and also to fill in open spots in my borders:

More ‘Red Spread’ lantana, plus some ‘Cherry Sunshine’‘Graffiti’ pentas‘Lollipop’ verbena‘Black and Blue’ salviaCosmos seedsPurple Bell vineI’ve already ordered a dwarf canna from a specialist, to replace the (nonblooming) banana in my largest pot.

That’s a lot to look forward to, for not a lot of money, or effort.

The Lantana and Verbena Report: Did they attract pollinators as you promised? originally appeared on GardenRant on December 22, 2023.

The post The Lantana and Verbena Report: Did they attract pollinators as you promised? appeared first on GardenRant.

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[daniela--anna]

#Did you know that

In March 2020, after four years of being lost, a rare species of bee with a characteristic blue color, Osmia calaminthae, was re-sighted.

This solitary bee species lives in only a small area of Florida;

its survival depends on a rare plant called Calamintha ashei, which is also an endangered species.

Some researchers from the Florida Museum of Natural History have begun a two-year study of the habits of this insect and the real numbers of its population.

The 2020 sighting revived hopes that it could save the species from the threat of extinction.

📚 Source

🧠Sapiens³

#SapeviChe

Nel marzo 2020, dopo quattro anni che se ne erano perse le tracce, è stata riavvistata una rara specie di ape dal caratteristico colore blu, Osmia calaminthae.

Questa specie di ape solitaria vive solo in una piccola area della Florida; la sua sopravvivenza dipende da una rara pianta chiamata Calamintha ashei, anch'essa specie minacciata. Alcuni ricercatori del Museo di Storia Naturale della Florida hanno iniziato uno studio biennale riguardo le abitudini di questo insetto e i numeri reali della sua popolazione.

L'avvistamento del 2020 ha ridestato le speranze di poter salvare la specie dalla minaccia di estinzione.

📚 Fonte

🧠Sapiens³

[milk-bubbles]

I live in the Florida scrub area and I tell everyone about it any opportunity I get because it’s so fascinating. I didn’t even know about this moth until now and I adore it but we have a lot of unique species here that are dying. As everyone knows, Florida is almost entirely a swamp but the south central Florida area along Highway 27 is actually a scrub ecosystem which is usually only seen in deserts. It’s called the Florida Sandridge and it’s considered an arid climate (despite regular rainfall) which is extremely unique for the south eastern United States, let alone Florida. We have scrub jays and scrub lizards here that aren’t seen anywhere else but deserts on the western side of the United States. My favorite species here is actually the Blue Calamintha Bee which was thought to be extinct until scientists found it again in the last several years. It’s literally a blue bumblebee. And now the tortoise shell moth is my second favorite species here.

Our rare ecosystem here is threatened by tourism and development and unfortunately Florida as a state doesn’t have as many protections for nature as it should. I’ve lived in Florida my entire life and as much as I hate the politics, our nature is so beautiful and special and it hurts my heart to see such a unique area be destroyed for profit. I know I’m essentially screaming into the void when I say this but please stop moving to central Florida and stop vacationing in rental homes here. You’re actively contributing to the destruction of an extremely special and fragile ecosystem when you do so. (Not to mention contributing to skyrocketing costs of living for residents but y’all don’t care about that, just think of the tortoise shell moth and the blue bumblebees, please!!!)

Saddest thing ever is reading an academic paper about a threatened or declining species where you can tell the author is really trying to come up with ways the animal could hypothetically be useful to humans in a desperate attempt to get someone to care. Nobody gives a shit about the animals that “don’t affect” us and it seriously breaks my heart

[liebgotts-lovergirl]

Oh yeah, the way a person treats animals is so, so important. I also relate to that, about how a person treats my loved ones.. Tying the two together, someone treats my pets badly I’ll never forgive them!! But if they bond with my pets, they bond with me. 

Never worry about taking time to write back! 

Yoda is such a wonderful Shih Tzu name 💗 Hello Yoda!!!

🦖 Favorite extinct animal?

I can’t pick one!! 

Tasmanian Tigers were beautiful & interesting, & it’s sad they were killed off as so many species are. The Blue Calamintha Bee was thought to be extinct until recently. I love Mason Bees, we get them here in the warmer months, and this Blue type looks lovely. 

What about you?

🐸 Describe your aesthetic.

Blossom trees, wood, metallic glitter. Dark, autumnal, velvety. “Concours d’élégance en 1925. RV-49505” on recollections.biz is what I sometimes aim for in clothing, LOL. 

🤎 What color is your hair?

Underneath it’s dark brown, but the visible outer part (where the sun hits) is much lighter - for the nut theme, peanut-coloured 😁 (chocolate and peanut butter 🤭)

Thank you for the interesting questions!! Fun ask game! 

Aw, you always make me smile ☺️ You are so lovely too and I am hugging you back in my heart and mind 💛💕 Thank you for writing with me, pen pal 💞

🌰

Aw thank you!! Yeah, she's always had these big Baby Yoda eyes & these cute lil teefs, so we thought it was fitting 🤭🥰

Oooh I've never seen a blue Mason bee in person before!! They're so pretty! 😁

I ADORE Woolly Mammoths, Glyptodons, & the Dodo!! They're all so freaking cute & I love them dearly 🙈

Oooh omg I love your aesthetic!! And chocolate + peanut butter is such a pretty hair combination!! Ugh, I just know you're so pretty!! 😍

And you're too sweet! Thank YOU for writing, my beloved 🌰 pen-pal!! I hope your month has gone well!! Keeping busy, I presume?? 💖💖💖

[its-a-beautful-day]

Blue's got some fresh honey for sale!!

Thank you so much anon for that ask! I had so much fun making this!! Ima add closeups and talk about the design choices under the cut

So in my reading i saw that they had a nickname of Manes blueberry bees so i added some cartons of blueberries and bushes in the background. (❁´◡`❁)

They are also a type of mason bee which like gotta jar that honey in some mason jars!! i also wanted to play on the idea that like brown cows make chocolate milk, then blue bees gotta make blue honey

I really really love this piece so much and before i even had a sketch down a wanted it on a shirt.

if you want one too or a sticker check out my redbubble here

[currentsinbiology]

Blue Bee Feared to Be Extinct Is Found in Florida 

As soon as the blue calamintha bee arrived on the scene, scientists worried it might be gone for good.

The indigo insect was last spotted in central Florida in 2016, five years after it was first identified. But this spring, just as Americans began to hunker down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rare blue bees, known scientifically as Osmia calaminthae, were rediscovered in the same region foraging on Ashe's calamint, a dainty violet flower that blooms in certain scrub habitats.

[headspace-hotel]

The Blue Calamintha bee, critically imperiled and believed extinct for several years, only found in Central Florida

[delicatuscii-wasbella102]

Madeira brimstone Ninespotted lady beetle Blue calamintha bee  By Levon Biss Courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History, 

[official-ottawa]

@twohundredfiftynine not only are there blue bees, there are at least 5 non extinct types!

Blue carpenter bee (this guy is fuzzy!)

Blue Calamintha Bee (this guy is super rare)

Blue Orchid Mason Bee (shiny guy)

Blue banded bees (these guys are Australian)

And Neon Cuckoo Bees (lookit them wings!)

Currently going insane over blue bees

[beeserk]

blue bees!

[start video transcript

Tubbo: Yellow is my favorite color. No, no, no. What is my favorite color? Hm, maybe it is yellow, you know? Ranboo: (overlapping tubbo) Blue? Wilbur: Bees are yellow, Tubbo. Tubbo: Bees are yellow! It would be very very- Wilbur: Strange if they weren't. *small chuckle* Tubbo: I mean, honestly, blue bees!

end video transcript]

what if i told you there are blue bees?

orchid bee (Euglossini)

blue orchard bee (Osmia lignaria)

calinthma bee (Osmia calaminthae)

and these are only a few that i knew off the top of my head!! with over 20,000 species of bees, there are so many that differ from the usual yellow and black honey or bumble bee! isn't that cool? :D

[localsharkcryptid]

No art posts yet but

Say hello to the blue calamintha bee, a critically endangered bee native to Florida (my state of residence)

"Osmia calaminthae, commonly known as the blue calamintha bee, is a rare species of mason bee known only to Highlands County, Florida, United States. It is considered Critically Imperiled by NatureServe"

Just casually spreading awareness for these adorable little BEEans! Reposts are greatly appreciated as well for these sorts of posts!

[pinkfruitgender]

do you know of, or can you coin, a gender/genders related to blue species of bees (osmia calaminthae especially), dark blue gold and purple and lilac, holographics, cartoon clouds + crescent moons + stars, dreamy aesthetics?

we're trying to find a collective system gender fhfjfn

-Leo, The Realms of Reverie

sorry, i really tried with this one, but its just too many things for me to work into one flag. im not that talented, haha. ill pass this on to any followers who want to tackle it.

[headspace-hotel]

The most important thing you can do for bee conservation, probably? Become a nerd about bees and share your bee knowledge with others.

People REMEMBER facts about nature. If you tell someone the name of a unique creature and why it is important, it will stick in their minds.

In particular, tell kids. Kids have a damn near innate sense of the incredible importance of biodiversity, and also kids love to tell everybody else the facts they know.

People can't care about what they don't know exists.

In the USA (where I am) you can tell people about the critically endangered Blue Calamintha bee of central Florida. A lot of people didn't know bees come in blue. (This is a different blue bee from the blue bee that was going around on a post a while back.)

The American Bumble Bee, Bombus pennsylvanicus, is in terrible peril right now, having declined 90% in the past 20 years

One of our most critically endangered bees is the rusty patched bumble bee

Tell your friends about long horned bees (Melissodes), such as this Melissodes dentiventris (left) and Melissodes tristis (right). The ones with 70's leg warmers are females, the males have antennae the length of their whole body!

Tell people about the Blueberry Bee

Tell them about the Metallic-Epauletted Sweat Bee

And the Golden Belted Bumble Bee which is SUPER FLUFFY

There are many other beautiful and cool bees, many of which are imperiled. I can't find the blue-green shiny bee I saw at the place I work, but trust me, there are beeautiful bees out there that you've never even heard of.

By planting native wildflowers, you can attract many of these bees to your own back yard! I've been visited by many long-horned, bumble, and metallic sweat bees. They are so neat to watch—their ways of doing their pollinating work all differ. Long-horned bees are industrious and efficient, moving quickly from flower to flower; bumble bees are clumsy and bump into things. They're such gentle creatures and SO CUTE.

If you're not from the USA you probably have even cooler bees. I get jealous scrolling through iNaturalist beecause of the cool bees that don't live here.

The first step is curiosity. Everyone needs to beehold the wonders of bees beefore they can truly understand the importance of protecting them.

Okay, entomology brain is annoyed by a Tumblr ad

Specifically, this one. First, Albert Einstein never said that.

Secondly, and more importantly, that is NOT a honey bee, or even a bee at all. That is a bee fly, a very important, very cute pollinator. However! They have parasitoid larvae! This means that they lay their eggs in the larvae of other bugs. Those eggs hatch, and those larvae eat the bug they’re in from the inside out. Sounds horrible, but it’s the way of things and I cannot understate how important these guys are.

The reason I’m annoyed about the picture of choice isn’t even that they didn’t picture a bee (not even in the right order- bees are hymenopterans. Flies are diptera.) What’s really grinding my absolute gears about the choice here? Bee flies parasitize bee larva.

If you’re going to use the wrong picture, at least don’t use the picture of something that actively kills what you’re trying to protect instead of the animal you’re protecting.

Also, honeybees, Apis mellifera, don’t need protection. They’re fine. They’re invasive in North America, even. Humans take care of them just fine. I’m a beekeeper, and I love them, but that’s not where our efforts should be. We should be trying to protect native bees, there are a whole bunch that I bet you’ve never heard of that need help.

Anyway, rant over. Sorry, I just could not let that one go.