Painted Lady Butterflies and American Bumble Bees
I love watching the pollinators visiting my garden. They are so busy and colorful, flying from flower to flower. I see bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. They help my plants grow and produce fruits and seeds. I try to make them feel welcome by planting a variety of flowers and providing water and shelter. They are my garden's best friends.
PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY
(Vanessa cardui)
The painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) is a cosmopolitan species that can be found on every continent except Antarctica and Australia. It is also known as the thistle butterfly because its caterpillars feed on thistle plants. It is an irruptive migrant that can travel long distances and reach high speeds. It has a reddish-ochreous color on the upper side of its wings, with black and white markings, and a pattern of eyespots on the lower side.
AMERICAN BUMBLE BEE
(Bombus pensylvanicus)
The American bumble bee (Bombus pensylvanicus) is a large, fuzzy bee that has yellow and black stripes on its abdomen. It is native to North America and was once the most common bumble bee species in the continent. It is an important pollinator of many native plants and crops, such as tomatoes and peppers. However, it has experienced sharp declines in recent decades due to threats such as habitat loss, pesticides, climate change and diseases. It is now considered vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.