WASHINGTON AREA BUTTERFLY CLUB JANUARY MEETING

Date/Time: Thursday, January 24, 7:30 PM
Topic: "Native Bees of the Mid-Atlantic: The 400 Species that Nobody Knows"
Speaker: Sam Droege, Wildlife Biologist, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

This meeting is free and open to the public.

Long Branch Nature Center
625 South Carlin Springs Road
Arlington, Virginia

Abstract:

Despite the recent attention that pollinators have received and their
importance in the pollination of agricultural and native plants,
little is known about the region's native bee population. We will
explore general information about the life history of the 400 species
that exist in the area, where they like to hang out, why they are more
abundant than butterflies, and which species sting and which do not.
We will also take some pot shots at the non-native honeybee and
demonstrate why most "butterfly gardens" should actually be called bee
gardens. We will discuss how to attract non-stinging bees to our
garden and yard (quick answer: cut down your trees and plant native
forbs and blooming shrubs), and evidence will be presented on why we
can't really say that pollinators are declining or increasing. We
will have lots of pictures of native species, a collection of pinned
specimens, and plenty of stories about our adventures with this most
interesting group of insects.

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