Sharing a Sunflower

Aug 26, 2009

If you're in the right spot at the same time, you may get a double bonus: a non-native bee and a native bee on a native plant.

We took this photo in Healdsburg last week of a non-native bee (the common European or Western honey bee, Apis mellifera) and a native sweat bee (Halictus ligatus) sharing a plant native to the Americas: the sunflower. 

A golden moment.


By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Author - Communications specialist

Attached Images:

TWO ON A SUNFLOWER--A  honey bee (Apis mellifera) and a female sweat bee (Halictus ligatus) share a sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Two on a Sunflower

CLOSE-UP of a honey bee and a sweat bee clearly illustrates the size disparity.  The honey bee is covered with pollen from a nearby hollyhock. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-Up