A Bounty of Bees By Amy Longworth

Photo by author

One of the first things I planted was echinacea, which were being sold as a medicinal herb that spring. These perennial lovelies grow to about four feet tall and bloom prolifically from early summer until the first freeze in autumn.

Bombus, the Humble Bee by Kimberly Sheahan

Photo by Kimberly Sheahan
Bombus nevadensis #1

The bumble bee’s scientific name is Bombus and prior to the 1920’s they were more often called “humble bees” due to the soft droning noise they emit. Unfortunately, a few articles in the 1920’s referred to them as bumble bees and the new name took. (I personally vote that the internet reclaim the common name humble bee to refer to these fuzzy pollinators.)