📜 EwA Week Highlights: The Bumble Bees Have Arrived

[Mike McGlathery]

EwA Highlights June 23, 2024 Hello everyone! Thanks for reading the June 23rd EwA highlights. We’ve officially reached the height of bumblebee season on iNat (more on that later). 📸 Claire spotted this spotted longhorn beetle (Hyperplatys aspersus) near Fresh Pond. Longhorn beetles are of course named for their long antennae, which are typically longer than their bodies.  EwA iNaturalist Record (© Claire O’Neill · Cambridge, MA · June 17, 2024)  One of the most common dragonflies to observe in the Boston area this time of year is the blue dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis), which gets its name from the blue abdomen of the males of the species. I think the females look just as cool, with their patterned yellow-and-black abdomens, such as this one observed by Bill. EwA iNaturalist Record (© Bill MacIndewar ·Stoneham, MA · June 21, 2024)  As I mentioned before, we’re in the thick of bumblebee season on iNat for EwA, and our most-observed species this week was the brown-belted bumble bee (Bombus griseocollis). It’s likely that this or the common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) will be our most-observed species every week for the next three months or more. And there are good reasons for that: they don’t move too fast, they’re entertaining to watch, they spend lots of time around the patches of wildflowers we love, and there are lots of them! EwA iNaturalist Record (© Jennifer Clifford · Framingham, MA · June 21, 2024)  📊 Thanks to everyone for your great biodiversity records this past week, totaling 1,345 observations of 627 distinct species. If you’re curious about the records from this week that have been validated by the iNat community so far, you can find them » here. 🏆 Running tally: To date, we have recorded 196,304observations of 11,202 distinct species! Check out o ur EwA umbrella project, see the details per site/observer, and more » here. 📅 EwA Upcoming Public Events Ewa Field Events » Check the EwA Summer [ Event details and registration » ] Don’t miss some great opportunities to follow the rhythm of the season in our local habitats and in the local wildlife! Space is limited for all our field events. Wildlife ethics is important to us and we seek to avoid putting the pressure on natural habitats which large gatherings unavoidably do. We are asking our audience to register-and-commit (or cancel when you know you can’t come) to avoid no-shows. EwA Fieldwork (and Resources) It’s a great time to join our monitoring programs. Check EwA’s Volunteer Program Calendar 📅  to know when things happen. And if a session is of interest to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to get the rendezvous location. 📅 EwA Sites Map | 🌱 Site Protocols and Guides · Field Rosters · Field Notes » All here! | ℹ️ More about EwA’s Citizen Science Program » Here ❓ Do you have any questions? Don’t be shy. Just email me or reply to this thread.  That’s all for this week—hope you have a good one! -Mike