My name is Krystle Hickman. I’m a photographer, community scientist and public speaker based in Los Angeles, California. My photography revolves around three things: bees, the plants they visit and their ecosystems. As a community scientist I note behavior, times, dates and weather when out photographing bees and their flowers. Over many years, my notations […]
Tag: bumble bee

Wildlife garden ideas – 10 ways to transform your backyard into a nature-friendly plot
Wildlife garden ideas are having something of a moment. With many of us spending more time on our gardens, allotments and window-boxes at the moment, it’s the perfect opportunity to make a few changes to help our local wildlife as well. The sound of a robin singing at dusk can be breathtaking, and few things […]

Death by 1,000 cuts: Are major insect losses imperiling life on Earth?
Chances are, the works of the world’s insects touch your lips every day. The coffee or tea you savor, both are insect pollinated. Apples, oranges, cabbages, cashews, cherries, carrots, broccoli, watermelon, garlic, cinnamon, basil, sunflower seeds, almonds, canola oil — all are insect pollinated. Honey, dyes, even some vaccines require insects to come to fruition. […]

Remembering Summer Bees
I know everyone is busy with holiday preparation, so just a few words about some bees I saw in June. I’ve seen this bee before — it’s Bombusfervidus, commonly called the golden northern bumble bee. But it has always managed to fly away before I could take a photograph. I snuck up on this one […]

The Sunflower Bed & Breakfast
The nights are becoming chilly here in Brighton, Michigan, USA, but that doesn’t keep the insects from their foraging. After spending the warm days gathering pollen and drinking nectar they decide to spend the night on their dinner plate. I found three earwigs and a bumble bee on a mature sunflower atop an 8-foot tall […]

A Nice Surprise
It’s been a while since I last walked through Red House Farm, last night I walked the dog through the area and was pleased to find it carpeted in wild flowers. One in particular caught my attention. The Bee OrchidOphrys apifera. This was the first time I’ve seen this species, making it even more special […]