Rare bee discovered at National Butterfly Center

[TexasTowelie]

Two nature surveyors this month discovered a red-legged Toluca Leafcutter Bee at the National Butterfly Center in Mission. It’s the first time the bee species has been spotted in the U.S.

The Toluca Leafcutter Bee had been documented in Tamaulipas, Mexico, but American Museum of Natural History bee experts John Ascher and Jack Neff identified it in South Texas through photographs taken by surveyors Paula Sharp and Ross Eatman.

The bee was temporarily captured and released back to its home at the National Butterfly Center.

The male bee, which was found to use Texas snout bean as its food source, has not been documented anywhere else in the U.S. Leafcutter bees carry pieces of leaves to their egg chambers, according to Sharp and Eastman’s website.

Read more and see photo: https://www.themonitor.com/news/local/article_8f2edd76-c516-11e8-a133-d335f1557075.html
(McAllen Monitor)

[sprinkleeninow]

1. I positively love reading news like this about nature.🐝

Thank you, TT.

[TexasTowelie]

2. You're welcome and it's definitely better than when the killer bees came up north.

It's another sign of climate change I suppose. I remember over 30 years ago when we started seeing green jays in south Texas where I grew up. We lived more than 150 miles further north than their natural habitat in the Rio Grande Valley so it was a notable event.

[Kurt V.]

3. Speaking of butterflies

the monarchs have been coming through Missouri all weekend. That was good to see.

[Alliepoo]

5. Great news!!

I hope some of those beautiful Monarchs are mine!! We raised 28 beauties in our kitchen this summer. Just released our last one on Friday!!

[Kurt V.]

6. Amazing! thank you

Where did release them from?

[texasfiddler]

4. I see this as a result of climate change

I have lived in South Texas all of my life. Many species that I see now, were not in this area when I was a kid. All of the new species I see have moved up from Central America. Caracaras, coati, brown widows, green jays, white wing dove, etc. Even white cattle egrets were not around in our area before the mid 60s (before my time). A biologist friend of mine blames the northern migration of the egret with the demise of horned lizards in our area.