Thistle Bees

Thistles are often maligned as a painful weed, but they support several native specialists and are visited by a variety of species.

Thistle Long-horned Bee (Melissodes desponsus)

About the size of a worker Bumble Bee, this bee is often found on thistle in the Champlain Valley and sporadically elsewhere.

A cleptoparasite of the Thistle Longhorn, this species is possible to ID from photos and worth looking for around nice thistle patches.

A distinctive, summer Mason Bee, this is one of our rarest bees. Only known from a handleful of Champlain Valley records.

This large, northern leafcutter seems to have a strong preference burdock and thistles, though is occasionally found on other composites.

Distribution: To see the global distribution of Thistles, check out the iNaturalist account, and toggle the GBIF layer on the map.

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