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A garden gem

Berry bees, Osmia aglaia, amaze me because they appear brilliant blue or green depending on the light. Sometimes, they reflect both at once. Since they are called berry bees, I used to think they were specialist bees, but they are not. This year I have seen them on just about everything in my garden including […] Read more

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Berry busy berry bee

Here is a creature to add to your native bee list. Osmia aglaia is a small (about 3/8-inch long) metallic-green bee that is native to the west coasts of Oregon and California. Belonging to the same genus as the popular orchard mason bee, this bee is especially fond of Rubus varieties—particularly red raspberries and blackberries. […] Read more

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Regardless of dictionaries, we have in entomology a rule for insect common names that can be followed. It says: If the insect is what the name implies, write the two words separately; otherwise run them together. Thus we have such names as house fly, blow fly, and robber fly contrasted with dragonfly, caddicefly, and butterfly, because the latter are not flies, just as an aphislion is not a lion and a silverfish is not a fish. The honey bee is an insect and is preeminently a bee; “honeybee” is equivalent to “Johnsmith.”

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