Bombus flavidus, a common cuckoo bumble bee found in North America. It is illustrated as if seen from above. It has a grayish face, a yellow band across the top of the thorax, an elongated abdomen, and a single band of yellow near the tip of the abdomen. Lots of long fuzzy hair covers its body. It has two translucent wings with a faint purple tint to the veins.
Bombus insularis, a common cuckoo bumble bee found in western North America. It is illustrated as if seen from above. It has a bright yellow head, a yellow band across the top of the thorax, an elongated abdomen, and a bright yellow band near the tip of the abdomen that extends all the way to the tip with a black center at the very end. Lots of long fuzzy hair covers its body. It has two translucent wings with a faint purple tint to the veins.
Bombus mixtus, the "fuzzy-horned bumble bee", illustrated as if seen from above. It has lots of yellow all over, with a black band over the "shoulders" of the thorax. The abdomen starts out yellow, with two broad black bands through the middle. The lowest band fades from black to chestnut orange-brown before becoming yellow again for the final two bands. It has a wide, fat, short abdomen. As with the others, the wings are translucent with purple-tinted veins.
Bombus vancouverensis nearcticus, the "nearctic bumble bee", illustrated as if seen from above. The head and thorax are mostly yellow, but a black vertical stripe divides the yellow at the base of the thorax and the top of the abdomen. The abdomen is mostly black except for the upper divided yellow band, and a thin yellow band near the end of the abdomen. It has a wide, fat, short abdomen. As with the others, the wings are translucent with purple-tinted veins.
It's #WorldBeeDay! A perfect day to show some of the bees I illustrated for @instbirdpop.bsky.social Cole et al. 2025 shows how thinning and prescribed burns can benefit bumble bees and butterflies! birdpop.org/docs/pubs/Co...
🎨🐝 #SciArt #invertebrates see alt text for species
