University of Arizona Pollinator Field Guide

~crawls out of a nest in the ground~
Oh! Hiya there! It is I, Anthophora californica, otherwise known as the California Digger Bee. We are a species of Anthophorine bee and much like our relatives, are known for constructing nests beneath the soil. We prefer to live a solitary life, though our female counterparts enjoy socializing a little more than us males do. The females will typically set up their nests closer to each other, sometimes aggregating by the hundreds. It might be good to watch where you step in the dirt on occasion! When it comes to feeding and pollination, our long tongues come in handy when trying to get closer to tubular flowers; and with the help of our strong wing muscles we are able to perform buzz pollination as well. These two traits make us important players in maintaining wildflower diversity across the range. If you are interested in catching a glimpse of us, it might be good to have quick eyes for we tend to fly fast! We have a very stripe-y rear end (abdomen) that has much more contrast than a honey bee. We are also more docile than our more social Hymenopterans (honeybees and wasps), and will likely not sting unless you provoke us. less ↑

Hello! I am sure that most of you know me as the Western (or European) Honey Bee, but my fancy science name is Apis mellifera. I am one of the most important pollinators globally as I am widely used in crop pollination and honey/wax production. We honey bees did not originate in the Americas despite how common we are in the area, and are actually native to Europe, Africa, and Asia. We were brought over by a couple of humans that wanted a taste of our sweet honey, just as Winnie the Pooh does! After some time, my relatives and I became globally distributed, domesticated, and farmed for our products and abilities. A byproduct of commercial domestication and distribution, however, is that we have become prone to pest- and pathogen-related issues, which is kept under control by fellow beekeepers. Both in the wild and in farms, most of our time is spent gathering pollen and nectar for food generation as well as supply for the cooler months, and a fraction of the year (typically in the spring or early summer) is used for forming new colonies after a growth spurt in our population. less ↑

Bzz bzz! Hi! I am the Sonoran bumble bee (Bombus sonorus). Some may say I am a subspecies of Bombus pennsylvanicus, but others claim we are our own distinct species. Since we are bumble bees, we are famous for our buzz pollination methods. We pollinate crops from local blueberries to tomatoes in the hydroponic industry (who are actually very reliant on us for fruit production). Like other pollinators, our numbers and species are in decline. Prior to the 1990's, we were abundant southern and some parts of northern California. Since then, we are often no longer found or less abundant in these areas. Causes include introduction of European diseases, urbanization, much like our honeybee relatives. less ↑

I know that I can buzz about rather rambunctiously, I can assure you I am a gentle giant (at least until you poke fun at me, of course). I am known as Xylocopa californica, the Western Carpenter bee (or California Carpenter bee). Most of our adults can be seen taking flight during the later, hotter summer months, and are more common in the western region of the United States (hence our name!). We will typically carve out tunnels in untreated wood in preparation of laying young. Unlike termites, however, this does not involve the consumption of wood. Once a good ol' cavity is made, a female will lay an egg on a ball of pollen and nectar at the end of the tunnel and seal the cavity with sawdust. It is necessary for us to bore into wood in order to lay our eggs , but often the effects of this in wooden structures often affects the physical appearance of buildings, which causes some to consider us as pests. But in general we are more so viewed as beneficials from our contributions as pollinators to numerous species of plants. less ↑

~deep buzzing gradually increasing in volume~
Oh! Hello there, yes they call me Xylocopa varipuncta... or sometimes even Xylocopa sonorina. There has been a bit of debate over my name, here is an article that covers some of the commentary on that if you are interested: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7174431/. Anyway! My more common name is either the Valley Carpenter Bee or the Hawaiian Carpenter Bee, and sometimes I am even called the Teddy Bear Bee! Though, it is more so the males who appear that way with their golden color. Unfortunately it can be a little difficult for us to find a man because of geographical or topographic barriers... oh, how it would be nice to have a Bumble for us! Our females perform plenty of work, and typically duties such as collecting, cell preparing, and ovipositing will be done by the single mothering female while the others will stand guard. When nesting we tend to prefer bare, unpainted or weathered wood. This is especially true with redwood, cedar, cypress and pine. We can be found not only here in the United States but also in more tropical regions, such as Hawaii. But we are not native there, we were introduced by humans to the tropical regions to help pollinate Passiflora edulis (A.K.A. passionfruit). Maybe I can see you there sometime! less ↑

Hello hello I am Hylephila phyleus! The Fiery Skipper! I am a butterfly from the family Hesperiidae and we can be found from North to South America. Yeah, we are fairly widespread if I may say so myself. We primarily have established populations in the states nearby the Gulf of Mexico, and were introduced to Hawaii. We usually just perform our duties as pollinators and reproduce, as insects typically do. When we lay our children on grasses, they will roll to form little shelters for themselves and also eat it for sustenance. Aren't they just great? They get a little rowdy with the feeding sometimes, however, so pest management will come in and treat the grasses with a bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) , which harms their gut system. Alternatively, parasitic wasps and nematodes have also been used to get our children under control. This is more so a situation in Hawaii then other places, but pest management seems to have it all handled over there! less ↑

~excited and quick fluttering~
Ooooo! Hi! My name is Brephidium exilis (or Brephidium exile), but you can just call me the Western Pygmy Blue hehe. I am one of the smallest butterflies in the world and the smallest in North America, though of course there is debate on whether we are truly the smallest. Supposedly I am competing with Blues from other countries, including Tongeia minima from China, Brephidium pseudofea from North America, Brephidium (or Oraidium) barberae from southern Africa, Zizula hylax from Old World tropics, Pseudophilotes sinaicus from Egypt, and Micropsyche ariana from Afghanistan. It's almost like a butterfly olympics! Anyway, my friends and I are primarily distributed throughout southern United States, but we have actually been introduced and started populating the Middle East as well. Good luck finding me :) less ↑

Hiii! My name is Hemiargus isola, the Reakirt's blue. I am in the same family (Lycaenidae) as the other two tiny blue butterflies in this guide, Western Pygmy-blue (Brephidium exilis) and Marine blue (Leptotes marina). We all look rather similar, so it might be a little hard to tell the difference. If you look closely, we have five black spots un the underside of our forewing with white circles around them; the Western Pygmy-blue is probably smaller than us, and has copper on the forewing underside; and the Marine blue has several brown and white bands for their underside. I'm sure you'll figure it out! less ↑

~pssst, over here~
Hey you! My name is Ceraunus blue! Or if we want to be more scientific, I am Hemiargus ceraunus. We are actually the second largest member of Lycaenidae butterflies, which are typically very small butterflies. My relative, Brephidium exilis / exile, is one of the smallest butterflies in the world! There is debate on who is the smallest, haha. Reports from Florida usually advise to refrain from collecting these butterflies because they are confused with a more rare and endangered butterfly, the Miami blue (Cyclargus thomasi bethunbakeri). Although we are abundant, we are small so it might be hard to spot us... but! If you take the time to look closely I am sure you will find us ~wink~. less ↑

Hello! I am the Gray Hairstreak (A.K.A. Strymon melinus). I have to say, I am definitely not a picky eater. Both of our adults and children enjoy feeding on several types of flowers or fruits, often from the legume or mallow families. Sometimes the kids can get out of hand, though, and earn "pest" status in the eyes of commercial crop farmers. Past studies have said that we get a taste from at least 20 different families of plants... that's so many! Who knew! Certainly not us, for all we wish for is some good nectar and food! less ↑

Orange you glad to see me? I am the Gulf fritillary (Agraulis vanillae), funnily enough, I am the only member of the family Agraulis. Unless, of course, you count the different versions of me within my species. We are a tropical butterfly and are not native to Arizona, and are more commonly found in the more southern part of the United States. I love passionflowers, they might look rather odd to some but they are an absolute treat! We don't seem to be the most frequent visitors at the University of Arizona, but that may change in the future if more people spot us... less ↑

Hear ye, hear ye, it is I, the Hackberry emperor (Asterocampa celtis). As you can tell by our name, we enjoy to raise our young on hackberry trees! Despite this, we do not typically cause great destruction or distress to Celtis trees. Unless you consider instances such as the complete defoliation of both Celtis occidentalis and Celtis laevigata trees in the past. less ↑

Hello! I am Chlosyne lacinia, or you can also call me the Bordered Patch. My favorite nickname is the sunflower patch. As pretty as I may be, we can look rather intimidating as caterpillars with our gothic spikes and Halloween orange bodies. We usually all hang out together when we are young, and can completely devour a plant's stems and leaves like a massive black hole would. Fun fact, there is actually a species of stink bug (Stiretrus anchomgo) that keeps us at bay. ~whispers~ They can eat a whole herd of our caterpillars... scary, isn't it? less ↑

~royal trumpet noises~
I am Danaus gilippus, otherwise known as the Queen butterfly. Whether I am truly a queen or not is dependent of our other pollinator friends, and the humans of course! I am a close relative to the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), whose name also signifies royalty. The main difference between us is that the upperside of my wings do not have those bold black veins that they have, but our undersides look fairly similar. Also like Monarchs, our caterpillars usually grow up on milkweeds and plants from the Apocynaceae family. These plants typically carry cardiac glycosides, which is a toxin that we store in they will store in their bodies all through the rest of their lives. This toxin makes us a nasty treat to whoever decides to get a taste of us, making our species practitioner of Müllerian mimicry. As the Play-Doh commercial once said, we are "fun to play with, but not to eat". less ↑

A pleasure to meet you! I am the Monarch butterfly, scientifically Danaus plexippus. I am a relative to the Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus). As far as I am told, I am one of the most studied and popular butterflies on the planet... who knew! We love to live in warmer climates, and the people always seem to get a kick out of us when we seasonally migrate from Canada to the United States and to Mexico. There, we will all cluster onto trees and wait out the winter before heading north again. You might be wondering, "But how do they even travel that far?" Well let me tell you, we have a special gene that helps us! There is a gene that contributes to collagen formation (which is the "stretchy stuff" in connective tissues), and this gene lowers how much energy we spend when we fly long-distance. There have been a lot of conservation efforts to help us and my fellow pollinators because our numbers have declined just as our precious milkweeds and nectar flowers decrease in number too. Hopefully you can join in that cause too! less ↑

Hellooo, I am the American snout or Libytheana carinenta. You can probably see why I am called that (insert
gentle nose nudge). We are also a migratory species! But like the Painted Lady butterflies, we do it rather irregularly. We will be around when you least expect it! Just kidding, a scientist has done research on us in the past and he found that there was a positive correlation between our population explosions and how intense and long a drought is before a rain comes along. Oh yeah, and you might have also noticed that we look rather bland, almost like... dead leaves? Yes, yes we do. We look like this when our wings are closed, at least. It's cool, isn't it? I have to go though, I'll see ya around! less ↑

Oh! Why hello there, my name is Vanessa cardui. I am more commonly known as the Painted Lady, or in North America I am the Cosmopolitan or Thistle butterfly. Like the Monarch, I take pleasure in the act of migrating to warmer climates when temperatures get rather unfavorable. Yet unlike the Monarch, we do not follow a seasonal pattern. It is just... when we feel it is appropriate. There is a group of people who have began a research project that monitors our migration patterns to learn more about it, you can take a look at it here if you're interested: http://www.butterflymigration.org/. less ↑

Why hello! I am Battus philenor. Or more commonly, I am the Pipevine swallowtail or Blue swallowtail. What a pleasure it is to meet you. We have self-defense mechanisms similar to the Monarch (Danaus plexipus) and the Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes). Our preferred host plants give us aristolochic acids, which makes our taste unpalatable to birds... and sometimes even parasitoids! Very convenient, if I must say. We also have organs (they tend to be yellow-ish) called osmeteria that come out from behind our children's heads when they feel threatened. Some say the kids look like velvet worms. Anyway, osmeteria secrete isobutyric and 2-methyl butyric acid, both of which are rather stinky according to a fellow ant. There are also butterflies that pretend to be us (otherwise known as Batesian mimics), some of whom are the Spicebrush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus), Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes), and the Red-Spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax). less ↑

~with mystery~
Hello, it is I, Papilio polyxenes, the Black Swallowtail (...American Swallowtail or, funnily enough, Parsnip Swallowtail). I am proud to hold the honor of being the state butterfly of Oklahoma and New Jersey... where the Jersey Devil is... well, anyway. Our children could be beautiful, but they look like bird droppings. I suppose it is for their own protection. We all look up to our relatives, Battus philenor (Pipevine Swallowtail), but unfortunately we will never be as poisonous as they are. The least that we can do is take on their looks like that younger sibling who steals your clothes, and from there we can only hope that it is enough to keep the predators away. For this, we are known as Batesian mimics. Oh right, about the parsnip name... We do enjoy a good vegetable, but sometimes we can be a pest unfortunately. Usually we are naturally managed by parasitic wasps and flies, but if we get too dark with the vegetables then the big man typically comes in to give us the killer bacteria, Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis). Then, we die, goodbye world. less ↑

Hi! I am Papilio rumiko, or more commonly, the Western Giant Swallowtail. We LOVE citrus! Unfortunately, sometimes we love the tangy fruit trees a little too much and can be considered pests (~whispers~ It's mostly the kids). They are feisty, those little ones. Parasitic wasps and flies have trouble taking them down because of how much they resemble... poop. No one wants to touch that. Not even any other insect wants to associate with them because if anyone gets too close, they will whip out their snake-like lookin' gland and let me tell you, it smells horrid. Just a fun fact, the chemical stench they give off is a 40:60 mixture of isobutyric acid and 2-methyl butyric acid. Our kids are like pubescent human teenagers, but worse! Not even the birds want to eat them! But... all of this is a good thing in terms of us adults. More of us will live through to adulthood so that you can enjoy the views we give (~looks away~ at the cost of some citrus trees...). less ↑

Hello there! I am Phoebis sennae, the Cloudless Sulphur! Fun fact about my name: Phoebis comes from the name Phoebe (who's the sister of Apollo in Greek and Roman mythology) and sennae comes from the genus name Senna (one of my favorite host plants!). I absolutely adore red flowers, and quite literally would die for them too. I actually know a few friends who have gotten a little too close to the red taillights on cars... Anyways! We tend to have a similar migration behavior and toxin deterrent as Monarchs do. Only, we don't travel as far and our defense mechanisms come from eating Senna and Cassia plants as children. less ↑

Hellooo! I am Pontia protodice, the Checkered white or Southern cabbage butterfly. As implied by my name, we LOVE cabbages! Maybe not just cabbages, actually. We also enjoy feeding on broccoli and horseradish... but cabbages are the main thing. We tend to be pests when our numbers explode on cultivated crop lands, so chemical pesticides or the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis is used to keep us under control. But hey, I don't blame them. The kids just love to chow down on the leaves of Brassicaceae plants, which is also what distinguishes us from the Cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae). I sure hope you don't have to experience large number of us feasting on your crops... less ↑

~barks~
Oh! Just kidding, for we do not bark! We are Zerene cesonia, the Southern dogface butterfly. Of course, the scientists have heated debates on our scientific name and sometimes, instead of Zerene, we are placed in the genus Colias. We rarely open our wings when resting, so if you catch a glimpse at the "dog face" you are very lucky! The black dot on the upperside of our forewing is supposed to be an eye, and the black border helps form a side profile of the dog's face or rubber ducky depending on what you see. Isn't that neat? less ↑