Diario del proyecto Utah Pollinator Pursuit!

Happy September, Pollinator Pals!

This summer has been a scorcher, and August was no exception! While the occasional rolling storm brought momentary relief, the heat of summer was relentless. However, this did not stop our amazing community of pollinator enthusiasts from getting out and logging observations across the state!

This August, community scientists logged an incredible 1,923 pollinator observations across the state! Our top species include the Brown-belted Bumble bee (129), Hunt’s Bumble bee (101), and Monarch Butterfly (74). Some of our favorite observations from this month include this Sagebrush Sheep Month shared by @ramblinghemlock; this pollen-coated Western Bumble Bee logged by @alexanimalphotos; @wendybirds’ Spiny Tachina Fly; and this great shot of a Vicery (a Monarch Butterfly mimic) by @calebstroh.

Our top observers of the month are:

• Klaus Bielefeldt - 378 observations across 34 species,
• Robb Hannawacker - 81 observations across 41 species, and
• @studiopika - 74 observations across 26 species.

Our top identifies of the month are:

• Amanda Barth - 261 IDs,
• @knarc - 104 IDs, and
• @kyriforman - 101 IDs.

Thank you so much to everyone across the state who has taken the time to observe pollinators and to share those observations with the community! 380 people made at least 1 observation that helps support the conservation of our beloved pollinators this month - thank you!

If you’re interested in getting involved in hands-on restoration work to support pollinators, you can join us for an upcoming Pollinator Planting Day!

• Friday, 9/20: Weber Headwaters Workshop at G&E Ranch near Coalville, UT - Lunch Provided
• Saturday, 9/21: Arroyos y Raíces para Polinizadores at the Galena Soónkahni Nature Preserve, 10am-3pm - Lunch Provided
• Tuesday, 9/24: McLeod Creek Stream Cleanup & Planting in Kimball Junction, UT, 9:30am-11:30am

These planting days are made possible with native seedlings awarded to Sageland Collaborative and partners through the Utah Pollinator Habitat Program - thank you to all of the non-profit, university, and agency partners who dedicate their time to pollinator conservation and habitat restoration.

To stay up to date on ways to get involved, be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter, or follow along on social media (@utahpollinatorpursuit, @sagelandcollab).

Happy Pollinator Pursuing!

The Utah Pollinator Pursuit Team

Utah Pollinator Pursuit is a cooperative project between Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Sageland Collaborative, and Utah State University. Learn more and find volunteer resources and additional opportunities to get involved at utahpollinatorpursuit.org or on the project page at sagelandcollaborative.org/plants-pollinators.

Happy August, Pollinator Pals!

July truly brought the heat, and with it, a flurry of pollinator observations from our Utah Pollinator Pursuit community.

This month, community scientists have logged an impressive 2,746 pollinator observations across the state! The fluttering of wings scaled and veined alike have been vibrant in the summer air, with bumble bees, moths, and butterfly species placing in our top five most observed pollinators in July. Our top species include Brown-belted Bumble bees, Police Car Moths, and Hunt’s Bumble bees.

You may have noticed several observations of Indiscriminate Cuckoo Bumble bees showing up on your project feed and perhaps you wondered, What’s that all about? We asked Utah Pollinator Pursuit project lead and Utah’s Rare Insect Conservation Coordinator, Amanda Barth what this says about bumble bee populations. Here’s just a snippet of what she had to say:

“The likelihood of detecting a cuckoo bumble bee depends on the success and abundance of its host species in an area, effectively making cuckoo bumble bee species indicators of the health of the local bumble bee community.

For instance, the indiscriminate cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus insularis) is less restricted to host species than other cuckoo bumble bees. They have been recorded parasitizing 6 other Utah Bombus species: white-shouldered bumble bees, golden northern bumble bees, yellow-fronted bumble bees, Nevada bumble bees, red-belted bumble bees, and even western bumble bees.

In just the last two and a half months, Utah community scientists have submitted more than 90 observations of this species around the state. For comparison, that's more than the total number of indiscriminate cuckoo bumble bee observations from 2020-2023 combined (67 in four years!). While it's a rough estimate of bumble bee community health, it can still be interpreted as a positive sign of increased resources like precipitation and flowering plants in their habitat.”

Amanda shared her thoughts (and photos!) with us in our latest blog, The Unique Lives of Cuckoo Bees. Click through to learn more about this fascinating and often misunderstood group of pollinators, and check out some of our favorite cuckoo bee observations from the Utah Pollinator Pursuit community below:

• Coelioxys sp. observed by Connie Misket;
• California Digger-cuckoo bee shared by Doug Gilbert;
• Two-banded Cellophane-cuckoo bee from Amanda Barth;
• and Matthew Mulvey’s Indiscriminate Cuckoo Bumble bee observation

Our top observer of the month (to nobody’s surprise!) was Klaus Bielefeldt with an incredible 263 observations representing 35 species, while our top identifier of the month was Amanda Barth with 594 IDs - wow! We’re also excited to highlight our June Volunteer of the Month, Parker Lloyd, who has dedicated a fair share of time to logging pollinator observations and educating the public about the importance of creating habitat for pollinators.

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to sit with nature and for sharing your observations with us! This information is vital in providing land-managers and decision makers the background they need to best prioritize the conservation of pollinators and the habitats they need to survive.

If you’re interested in getting more involved in pollinator conservation, be sure to join us at our final Pollinator Office Hours for the season, sign up for our monthly newsletter, or follow along on social media (@utahpollinatorpursuit, @sagelandcollab).

Happy Pollinator Pursuing!

The Utah Pollinator Pursuit Team

Utah Pollinator Pursuit is a cooperative project between Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Sageland Collaborative, and Utah State University. Learn more and find volunteer resources and additional opportunities to get involved at utahpollinatorpursuit.org or on the project page at sagelandcollaborative.org/plants-pollinators.

Hey Pollinator Pals!

June's warm days and moderate evenings welcome the blooms of jewel-toned wildflowers and skies vibrant with the buzz of pollinators.

This month, our incredible community scientists have logged 2,689 pollinator observations across Utah - wow! Bumble bees reigned supreme as our most observed species, including the Brown-belted Bumble bee, Golden Northern Bumble bee, and the Hunt’s Bumble bee. While Bombus were the star of the show this month, butterflies and moths have also started to make an appearance! The Utah Pollinator Pursuit community observed 64 Monarch butterflies, 59 Western Tiger Swallowtail, and 214 other species within the Lepidoptera order this June.

Friends of Monarchs is still running their annual “1st Monarch Photo Contest” and 16 Utah counties remain! Check out their Facebook page for more details on how you can win.

Klaus Bielefeldt was once again our top observer of the month, logging a remarkable 203 observations across 36 species, while Amanda Barth (UPP project lead represent!) was our top identifier of the month, contributing 463 IDs!

Y’all have absolutely blown us away this month! Thank you so much for sharing your time and expertise to document Utah’s precious pollinators. It’s through your dedication that positive changes are made possible for pollinator conservation.

If you’re in the Salt Lake City area, you can join us in the field to get up close and personal with pollinators, practice your iNaturalist skills, and ask any pollinator related questions you might have at our Pollinator Office Hours!

Here’s where you can find us this month:

• July 2 - Bonneville Shoreline Trail (RSVP Required) - 11am-12pm
• July 16 - Tracy Aviary’s Nature Center at Pia Okwai - 4pm-5pm
• July 23 - Red Butte Garden (RSVP Required) - 11am-12pm

Be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletters to be first to know when there are new opportunities to get involved.

Happy Pollinator Pursuing!

The Utah Pollinator Pursuit Team

Utah Pollinator Pursuit is a cooperative project between Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Sageland Collaborative, and Utah State University. Learn more and find volunteer resources and additional opportunities to get involved at utahpollinatorpursuit.org or on the project page at sagelandcollaborative.org/plants-pollinators.

Hey Pollinator Pals!

May has treated us well here in the beehive state, with warm afternoons and enough rain to keep the gardens lush. With this rise in temperatures, we’ve also seen a flurry of pollinator activity!

This month, our incredible community scientists have logged 1,464 pollinator observations across Utah! Our top three species include the Hunt’s Bumble Bee, Painted Lady, and White-lined Sphinx.

We also had some pretty exciting observations this month, including:

• Utah’s first monarch observation of the year! Observed by Christi Nielson in Lehi, UT. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled and log your monarch observations here and in Journey North for the chance to win $50 as part of the Friends of Monarchs Annual Photo Contest.
• Western Bumble bees are a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Utah, with populations in decline across the West. In May, we had 4 observations of these intriguing bumble bees - shared by hmunson, jonbkoch, and charity56.
• We loved this great observation from Tyson Fullmer that shows the fascinating nesting behavoir of digger bees!
• This Hairy-horned Bromeliad Fly shared by Robb Hannawacker. Be sure to check out all of Robb’s beautiful photos for some nature inspiration!

Klaus Bielefeldt was our top observer of the month, logging 62 observations representing 20 species, while John S. Ascher was our top identifier of the month, contributing 121 IDs.

Thank you to everyone who shares their time and expertise to contribute to this growing database! Your observations and IDs add significant value to pollinator conservation here in Utah, and we’re beyond grateful for your dedication.

We’re looking forward to seeing how many pollinators this community will log in June!

Happy Pollinator Pursuing!

The Utah Pollinator Pursuit Team

Utah Pollinator Pursuit is a cooperative project between Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Sageland Collaborative, and Utah State University. Learn more and find volunteer resources and additional opportunities to get involved at utahpollinatorpursuit.org or on the project page at sagelandcollaborative.org/plants-pollinators.