Mining bees
Andrena
insectView on iNaturalist
Small, solitary bees varying in color from black to metallic green. Spring Bay Area pollinators of early wildflowers; nest in bare ground; crucial for native plant reproduction.
Plants that support Mining bees
4 plants
Miner's Lettuce*
Claytonia perfoliata subsp. intermontana
annual
Critical early spring pollen source for nesting females
Bay Area native
Red-flowering buckwheat
Eriogonum grande var. rubescens
perennial herb
Early spring pollen collection for larval provisions
Bay Area native
Scarlet Bugler
Penstemon centranthifolius
perennial herb
early spring emergence and pollen foraging
Bay Area native
Western Columbine
Aquilegia formosa
perennial herb
Early spring emergence; provisioning larvae Apr-Jun
Bay Area native