Bees play a vitally important role in the pollination of native plants and agricultural crops around the globe. Common Bees of Eastern North America is the first species-level photographic field guide to the most commonly seen bees in the eastern United States and Canada. Identifying bees to species is challenging even for taxonomists. This book walks you through the process of bee identification using 500 breathtaking high-resolution close-up colour photos that highlight the unique characteristics of each species, making identification easier. Full of essential facts about the natural history of these magnificent creatures, this is the must-have field guide for naturalists and backyard gardeners alike.
- Covers 125 of the most commonly seen species in the eastern United States and Canada
- Shows multiple images for each species, with arrows highlighting key identifying marks
- Provides silhouette images depicting the actual size of each species
- Describes key identification features, size, phenology, floral preference, nesting, and related species
- Includes a range map for every species
- Contains a taxonomic key to the bee genera of the eastern United States and Canada
Olivia Messinger Carril is an independent scholar who has been studying bees for more than two decades. Joseph S. Wilson is an associate professor of biology at Utah State University and an expert on the evolution and ecology of bees and wasps. They are the authors of The Bees in Your Backyard: A Guide to North America's Bees (Princeton).
"An excellent resource for anyone interested in learning about bees in eastern North America. There really isn't any other book like this."
– Sheila R. Colla, coauthor of Bumble Bees of North America