Bee City Los Alamos is happy to partner with Pajarito Environmental Education Center to conduct a citizen science iNaturalist project designed to document and track native plants, local pollinators and the relationships between the two. As part of the Los Alamos County commitment to protecting and nurturing native pollinators, we have partnered with PEEC and Los Alamos County Parks & Recreation to create a Pollinator Demonstration Garden on Bathtub Row in Los Alamos.

To become involved with these exciting projects, please email us at: coordinator@beecitylosalamos.org. We can help you get set up on iNaturalist to start documenting any native plants and pollinators you see while out hiking, in your own yard and in the Demonstration Garden. We are always looking for volunteers to help us with weeding, watering, planting and monitoring the garden. Join our mailing list (form is at the bottom of the home page of the website) to be notified of volunteer days, plant give-aways and more.

Volunteer day in the Pollinator Demonstration Garden May 2024 | Dana Ecelberger

You can find the garden on Bathtub Row behind the Extension Office and next to the Senior Center. This year marks the first step of a five-year project to transform this somewhat weedy open space on Bathtub Row into a pollinator paradise. Volunteers have turned out on three separate events to first mulch the area, then to help weed and plant native perennials donated by Plants of the Southwest, and most recently to plant shrubs and trees along the back fence. The area will demonstrate how homeowners, and municipalities, can incorporate native pollinator plants into landscapes of all sizes. The front area closest to the sidewalk has two perennials beds in a more formal arrangement, exemplifying what could be used by homeowners and high profile public areas, and which offer great nectar, pollen and habitat resources to our native bees. The plants in these beds are planted close together and in groups of like plants to help our native pollinators with efficient resource collection. Unlike honeybees, who can fly up to 5 miles to forage nectar and pollen, our native bees tend to stay within a few hundred yards of their nests. Most of our native bees are solitary, ground-dwelling bees so we have also included some areas that are not heavily mulched to make it easier for them to access the soil.

Native Alpine Bee and ant on Cleomella serrulata (Western Bee Plant) | Photo Dana Ecelberger

In the center area we sowed wildflower seeds, which are already blooming! This will be a small demonstration area of a seed sown wildflower meadow (we used the High Plains seed mix from Plants of the Southwest). Along the fence closest to the Senior Center we planted native shrubs Forestiera pubescens (New Mexico Privet), Cercocarpus montanus (Mountain Mahogany), Quercus gambelii (Gambel Oak) and Amelanchier alnifolia (Serviceberry). These shrubs provide resources and habitat for native pollinators and birds and are lovely choices for home and urban gardens. A generous grant from the Carroll Petrie Foundation made these shrubs and additional perennials possible for the second phase of planting.

The deer have discovered, and eaten ALL, of the tasty leaves on the Gambel Oak and Mountain Mahogany. We installed fencing around the most impacted plants, until they can get established. This has made all the difference! Chemical pesticides and fertilizers should never be used in a pollinator garden. Homemade pesticides are also discouraged as they negatively impact native pollinators. Soaps are a common ingredient in home sprays; they work by suffocating the insect, and this applies to soft-bodied insects and larvae, including our beneficials.

KokHeong McNaughton & Janine Fales weed the wildflower meadow area | Dana Ecelberger

We recently planted a new area along the fence with transplanted Asclepias speciosa (Showy Milkweed) salvaged from an accidental removal. We have our fingers crossed that they will recover and flourish along the fenceline.

Wildlife biologist, Jenna Stanek, checks on Showy Milkweed transplants | June 2024 | Dana Ecelberger

Volunteers have been watering and weeding the area through the dry, hot Spring. We are always looking for more help with these ongoing tasks, and we will be looking for sharp eyes to take photos of pollinators as they show up to utilize the new plants. You can sign up to volunteer at: volunteerlosalamos.org

You can also contact us at: coordinator@beecitylosalamos.org, if you would like to get involved in this fun project.

No Monarchs yet, but this Skipper showed up to help with the flowers | June 2024 | Dana Ecelberger

Los Alamos County Native Bee & Wasp List (this is a living document that will evolve over time as we collect more observations through our iNaturalist Citizen Science project. Join us today and help us identify and track our native pollinators!)

Native Bees of Los Alamos County Download

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Dedication Ceremony. We were so happy to have you all there to celebrate this first year with us!!

Pollinator Profiles

Each month we will be adding an in-depth profile of one of our local pollinators. Check back each month to see a new one!

Hunt’s Bumblebee

Bombus huntii

If you’ve been paying attention to the bumblebees in your garden you have probably already seen a Hunt’s bumblebee at some point. Hunt’s bumblebees are common for our area and are quite distinct with an orange band around a yellow body. They are generalists in their plant nectar selections and will nectar at a variety of different plants growing in our area. The Hunt’s Bumblebee can be found in many different habitats, including prairies, scrubby desert areas, meadows, along roadsides, in gardens, and along streams. This species has experienced declines, but it is still one of the more common bees of western North America.

The Hunt’s bumblebee is a social insect, with a caste system of a queen and workers. The queen reproduces young and the workers raise the young and find food. This is similar to the social structure of honeybees. However, bumblebees have an annual life cycle, in which only the newly emerged fertilized queens survive the winter by hibernating underground (unlike honeybees who live for multiple years). In the spring, the queens emerge and search for a suitable nest site. The queens then lay eggs and rear the first batch of workers, who take over the tasks of foraging, nest maintenance, and brood care. The colony grows throughout the summer, producing more workers and eventually males and new queens. The males and new queens mate, and the old queen and workers die by the end of the season leaving only the new queen and her developing eggs to carry on the population.

The Hunt’s bumblebee is an important pollinator, commonly interacting with plants, such as yarrow, milkvetch, fireweed, purple prairie clover, cinquefoil, prairie sunflower, hairy golden aster, silky lupine, wild bergamot, goldenrods, western snowberry, and aster. They are also good pollinators of crop plants such as raspberries and tomatoes. However, the development of using them for commercial pollination of crops, poses a threat because this process can lead to the introduction of diseases, such as the deformed wing virus. They are also threatened by pesticides, habitat destruction, and lack of floral resources and nesting locations.

Photo by Dana Ecelberger |Los Alamos

Long-Horned Bee

Genus Melissodes

Meet the Long-Horned Bees: Uniquely Beautiful, Fuzzy Pollinators.

These bees, from tribe Eucerini, are some of the most hardworking creatures in your garden & they come with a pair of extra-long antennae and soft, golden fuzz. These bees are particularly eye-catching, with males sporting antennae so long they seem to be feeling their way through the air. And if that wasn’t enough, many of them have striking blue or green eyes, making them some of the most beautiful pollinators you’ll encounter.

But these bees aren’t just about looks—they’re incredibly important pollinators. They’re especially fond of sunflowers and squash blossoms. They can be found buzzing around gardens and open spaces from mid-summer to early fall, collecting pollen from native plants and popular garden cultivars on their fluffy bodies, ensuring the plants thrive. Their thick coats are perfect for carrying pollen from one flower to the next, playing a vital role in the health of our gardens and ecosystems.

Though they live solitary lives, where females make nests in the ground, long-horned male bees have charming habits that might surprise you. In the early morning, you can often find them snoozing on flowers—sometimes several bees at once—looking like they’ve found the world’s coziest bed. Who wouldn’t want to wake up surrounded by sunflowers?

So next time you’re out in the garden, keep an eye out for these furry, antennae-clad pollinators. With their golden fuzz, long antennae, and colorful eyes, they’re more than just pretty—they’re essential workers helping to keep your garden blooming!

Photo & Profile by Kristen O’Hara

Monarch Butterfly

Danaus plexippus

Monarch butterflies are not only beautiful creatures, but they are one of the most iconic insect species in North America. They are the only butterfly known to make a two-way migration in the fall and spring as birds do. They migrate across the continent over four generations. However, monarch butterfly populations have declined by over 85% in the last three decades and are currently a candidate species under the federal U.S. Endangered Species Act.

During the spring and summer months multiple “breeding” generations of Monarchs spend their lives in New Mexico, living for a little over a month through their full life cycle. Monarch caterpillars need milkweed plants to grow and develop because female monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on milkweed. Planting milkweed is a great way to help monarchs and other pollinators too, as milkweed not only provides food for Monarch caterpillars but it also provides nectar resources to a diverse suite of bees and butterflies.

In the fall, the last generation of Monarch butterflies emerge and start to head to their overwintering areas. This “migratory” generation is different than the other generations and will live up to 8 months at their overwintering site before the same butterflies return to their breeding grounds in the spring to lay eggs on newly emerging milkweed. It is incredible that this “migratory” generation of Monarchs knows where to go for their overwintering areas since they have never been there. Migrating monarch adults depend on early season and late season flowering plants for food. Here are some tips on what you can do to attract monarchs to your yard and/or help them during their life cycle and migration.

See our November blog for the full article written by Jenna Stanek

Photo taken from the internet: Save Our Monarchs

Globe Mallow Bee

Diadasia dinimuta

Due to its distinctive appearance and preference for a single genus of floral host, the Globe Mallow bee, Diadasia dinimuta, is one of our most readily identifiable native bee species. Other members of the genus Diadasia specialize on cactus flowers or sunflowers, the Globe Mallow bee focuses on collecting pollen from flowers of the genus Sphaeralcea, the globe mallows. The solitary bees of this genus are all ground nesters.

Globe Mallow bees are small, less than a cm long, and are fast fliers. They have small heads and relatively short antennae. Their abdomen is dark with four light stripes, and the entire abdomen is washed with short pale or yellowish hairs, making it appear fuzzy. Both males and females have long, white hairs on their hind legs which are particularly noticeable on the females.

Two native species of globe mallow are abundantly found in Los Alamos County. Scarlet Globe Mallow, Sphaeralcea coccinia, is found around White Rock, and Fendler’s Globe Mallow, Sphaeralcea fendleri, grows around the townsite. Because of the long flowering season of these species, Globe Mallow bees can be found flying from mid-April to October.

Diadasia species are often called “chimney Bees,” because they build small chimney-shaped turrets outside of their tunnel entrances. The function of these chimneys is not well understood, perhaps used to plug nest entrances, to prevent flooding, or to discourage invaders such as velvet ants.

Profile by Craig Martin

Photo by Dana Ecelberger