What can you do to support bumble bee populations?
Habitat needs:
Bumble bees love a diversity of flowers and in turn, support ecosystem diversity. They occupy higher elevation, mountain meadow habitats and are active in the cooler temperatures from early spring to late summer. Some of the flowers you might find them on include:
White Flowers: Utah Columbine (Aquilegia scopulorum), Rocky Mountain strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
Red Flowers: Scarlet Gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata), Red Coneflower (Ratibida columnifera)
Blue Flowers: Explorer's Gentian (Gentiana calycosa), Blue Flax (Linum perenne or lewisii)
Yellow Flowers: Arrowleaf Balsamroot(Balsamorhiza sagittata), Red Dome Blanketflower (Gaillardia pinnatifida)
Purple Flowers: Rocky Mountain Penstemon (Penstemon strictus), Western Prairie Clover (Dalea ornata)
Gardening for Bumble Bees:
You can take steps to make your yard more bee-friendly and help sustain bumble bee populations. For a step-by-step guide to gardening for pollinators, see the Pollinator Partnership Planting Guide.
Bee City USA:
BEE CITY USA is an organization that was developed to raise awareness of bee conservation, enhance habitat, and celebrate achievements. The group is an initiative of the Xerces Society. It is geared towards municipalities and campuses.
Utah currently does not have any cities or campuses certified under BEE CITY USA. The guidelines and requirements to become established as a BEE CITY USA can be found on their WEBSITE.