Zach Portman

179 Followers
134 Following
125 Posts
Bee taxonomist who does other stuff too
websitehttp://www.zportman.com

I wrote about an important topic in the field of bee ecology -- the debate over lethal sampling.

I hope you can check it out:

https://zportman.medium.com/further-reflections-on-bee-monitoring-the-debate-over-lethal-sampling-320dd35e7b01

Shifting baselines is now shorthand for generational amnesia of the natural world. As species decline or die off, our cultural memory of them fades. We might remember the abundance and diversity of our childhood but never imagine the world of our grandparents — or of their ancestors. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/08/29/shifting-baselines-maine-forests/
Why you should tell your children about vanishing fireflies

Accepting climate-related disasters as the new normal will make it harder to restore the environment back to health.

The Washington Post
Bombus rufocinctus queen I saw yesterday
I'm not sure what exactly is going on but the #SweatBees are treating the obedient plant like it's a condo complex. They climb in, turn around, and chill. So cute! #NativePlants #NorthernIllinois #pollinators
"Trees are great. I love trees. Trees are friends of mine. Your tree plan, sir, will make no dent in global warming."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/08/02/republicans-want-plant-trillion-trees-scientists-are-skeptical
#climate #trees #carbonoffsets
Republicans want to plant a trillion trees. Scientists are skeptical.

New research finds that planting a trillion trees would have a minimal effect on halting global warming.

The Washington Post
Bombus terricola! First I've ever seen in Minnesota. Happy day 🙂

Anthophora curta (possibly), napping on a rock by a patch of yellow buttercups it was patrolling incessantly. By the beach at Santa Barbara, California.

http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/173683325

#iNaturalist #nativebees #Hymenoptera #entomology #insects

Anthophora curta

Anthophora curta in July 2023 by Albert Cardona. Napping on a rock.

iNaturalist
Rusty patched bumblebee doing some aerial acrobatics
More rusty patched bumblebee :)
Bombus auricomus nest in a stone wall 🐝 😀