Osmia lignaria
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Osmia lignaria, commonly known as the orchard mason bee or blue orchard bee, is a megachilid bee that makes nests in natural holes and reeds, creating individual cells for its brood that are separated by mud dividers. Unlike carpenter bees, it cannot drill holes in wood. O. lignaria is a common species used for early spring fruit bloom in the United States and Canada, though a number of other Osmia species are cultured for use in pollination.
The majority of research has been conducted in western orchards on the western subspecies. Efforts at establishing them outside their native range have met with mixed results. Researchers in one eastern study (Virginia / North Carolina) using the eastern O. l. lignaria found them to prefer the native redbud over the orchard fruits. They do not overwinter in Florida and the Gulf Coast because of the lack of cold winter temperatures needed in its development cycle. In the almond industry, where bloom time is early,... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Orchard Bee sighting in Seattle on a given day, based on 40 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 131st most-seen of the 428 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March to May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Orchard Bee in Seattle on a given day, against under 5% in June to February, the lowest months.
3rd of 8
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Blue Orchard Bee sightings, Seattle ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Portland (United States, about 10%) and Vancouver (Canada, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue Orchard Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Seattle (40 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
