It’s Complicated: Native Bees and Their Flowers

It’s complicated: The long-standing partnership of native bees and their flowers.

There are over 1,000 native bee species in the state of Arizona. Ranging from the size of an eyelash to larger than a thumb, these beautiful and intriguing creatures are responsible for the majority of pollination that happens in wild landscapes, urban gardens, and agricultural fields. Though the relationship between bees and flowers seems elegant, and is essential to the functioning of any ecosystem, it is fraught with all the intricacies and manipulations of a Shakespeare play. In this talk, Dr. Carril will introduce her audience to Arizona’s native solitary bees and explore the relationships of these bees with the flowering plants on which they depend –and which depend on them.

Doors open at 6:30pm.

*The event is free but space is limited and registration is required to attend. Masks required in the building. The talk will be live-streamed to our YouTube channel for those not able to attend in person.

Register Here

BIO: Dr. Olivia Carril has been studying native bees for over 25 years. She received her BS and MSc from Utah State University, and a PhD from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. She is the coauthor of three books: The Bees in Your Backyard, a Field Guide to North America’s Bees; The Common Bees of Eastern North America; and the soon to be released Common Bees of Western North America. She is currently conducting several large scale surveys of bees throughout the western United States, and studying several rare plants in New Mexico. In her spare time, she teaches science to middle schoolers, and hangs out with her two adorable daughters and her handsome husband.