Bombus nevadensis, f, right, Jackson Co., SD
Bombus nevadensis, f, right, Jackson Co., SD
If you were in the Badlands of South Dakota in the Summer, and were paying attention to your bumblebees, you would see this one. Bombus nevadensis. It is big and the queens are extra beefy. This is one of the dark bumbles. More black on the sides of the body and tinted wings. Bug-wise, it doesn't really get a lot heaftier than this in the North American world. There are some big beetles but they don't gaily fly around gathering pollen...pretty amazing you big ol' bumbly bee (wow, did I just say that? I will have to watch it or my pontificatory science license will get revoked).Photo by Kelly Graninger.
We Are Made One with What We Touch and See
We are resolved into the supreme air,
We are made one with what we touch and see,
With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,
With our young lives each spring impassioned tree
Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range
The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.
- Oscar Wilde. Original public domain image from Flickr