We all know about the European honey bee, but what about the native bees that live here in the Santa Clara Valley? These local insects help pollinate our ornamental and edible plants too! Once you know what to look for, you’ll see over a dozen bee species that live in our urban setting – especially among locally-growing native plants. Find out how planting even a few select natives can enrich your garden, save water and attract even more native (and honey) bees.

John Kehoe is a longtime member of CNPS, iNaturalist and The Xerces Society and is a certified California Naturalist. He is a regular volunteer at assorted Grassroots Ecology and Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful BioBlitz events as well as at various CNPS functions. His research interests include studying biodiversity, especially native bee ecology. He shares these interests by way of his photography on iNaturalist and Flickr.