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Journey through the world of California native bees, one letter at a time.National Geographic Explorer Krystle Hickman has spent a decade capturing exquisitely detailed photographs of native bees and making exciting discoveries about their behavior in the field. In her debut book of natural history, she offers an intimate look at the daily habits of rare and overlooked native bees in California: those cloaked in green or black or red, that live alone in the ground or sleep inside flowers, that invade nests and pillage resources like infinitesimal conquerors, or that, unlike more generalist honeybees, are devoted exclusively to the pollen of a single type of flower. A committed conservationist and community scientist who knows all too well how precarious the wellbeing of these insects is, Hickman shares her adventures in local native plant gardens and throughout the far reaches of California to bring the beauty of such diverse ecosystems into wondrous bee's-eye view. Meant for all curious readers, this collection of bee stories—one for each letter of the alphabet, matching the first letter of a bee's scientific name—will leave you both wowed and compelled to help save these fascinating beings and the lands they call home.
List of contents
Introduction 00
A is for
Melissodes agilis: the Agile Longhorn Bee
B is for
Megachile browni: the Brown’s Resin Bee 00
C is for
Lasioglossum cembrilacus: the Timberlake’s Metallic-Sweat Bee
D is for
Perdita dentata: the Dentate Fairy Bee/p>
E is for
Diadasia enavata: the Sunflower Turret Bee
F is for
Bombus flavidus: the Yellowish Cuckoo Bumble Bee
G is for
Colletes hyalinus gaudialis: the Delightful Hyaline Cellophane Bee
H is for
Anthophora hololeuca: the All-white Micro-Digger Bee
I is for
Perdita interrupta: the California Poppy Fairy Bee
J is for
Hoplitis jacintana: the San Jacinto Cryptantha-Mason Bee
K is for
Ancylandrena koebelei: the Koebele’s Desert-Mining Bee
L is for
Trachusa larreae: the Creosote Resin-Leafcutter Bee
M is for
Brachynomada melanantha: the California Smooth-Nomad Bee
N is for
Dieunomia nevadensis: the Nevada Nomia Bee
O is for
Andrena olivacea: the Olivaceous Mining Bee
P is for
Anthidium placitum: the Pleading Woolcarder Bee
Q is for
Osmia montana quadriceps: the Square-headed Mason Bee
R is for
Holcopasites ruthae: the Riverside Cuckoo Bee
S is for
Melecta separata callura: the Lovely-tailed Mourning Bee
T is for
Xeralictus timberlakei: the Timberlake’s Blazingstar-Shortface Bee
U is for
Anthophora urbana: the Urbane Digger Bee
V is for
Oreopasites vanduzeei: the Van Duzee’s Mountain-Cuckoo Bee
W is for
Conanthalictus wilmattae: the Wilmatte’s Phacelia-Shortface Bee
X is for
Ashmeadiella xenomastax: the Square-jawed Angled-Mason Bee
Y is for
Perdita yanegai: the Yanega’s Fairy Bee
Z is for
Calliopsis zonalis: the Zone-tailed Banded-Mining Bee
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Sources
About the Author
About the author
Krystle Hickman is a National Geographic Explorer and community scientist based in Los Angeles. With a passion for nature and an eye for artful photography, Hickman strives to elevate awareness of the decline of native bee species and shed light on their intricate and biodiverse ecosystems. Hickman's commitment to conservation takes her across the globe, documenting rare native bees without resorting to any form of lethal collecting. Hickman’s influence extends beyond the lens: She has graced multiple television and online broadcasts, been interviewed on podcasts such as
Ologies, presented at the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16) in Colombia, and lectured at colleges such as Harvard, UC Irvine, UCLA, and more.
