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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Bee season has begun! Andrena/mining bees are cold hardy and some of the first bees out in spring alongside Bumble queens & mason bees #bcnativebees #pollinatorgarden #miningbee #nanaimo #vancouverisland

A fuzzy golden brown mining bee is climbing over the edge of a white pear blossom; her front feet are hooked over the top edge and she’s stepping up with her back legs, looking like a human trying to scale a fence

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

CONVERGENT: exhibition w/ Nanaimo artists Jesse Gray, Anne Ramsden & Yvonne Vander kooi Re: local ecology & our relations w/ the landscape Feb 24-Apr 2 opening Fri Feb 27 4-7pm I will show 2 new bodies of work re: the Megachile/leaf-cutter bees in my yard #nanaimo #nativebeeart #nativebees

Poster for an Exhibition at Vancouver Island University titled Convergent. Features 3 horizontal detail images of the artwork - the first with penciled Garry Oak leaves overlaying a map, the second a photo of a leaf cutter bee in the process of cutting out a leaf, and the last a a warm-toned oil painting with rocks and plants.

Text details: 900 Fifth Street, Entrance 5D, Tue-Fri 10am-4pm, Show dates 02.24-04.02 Opening Reception 02.27 4-7pm

Vancouver Island University & The View Gallery Present CONVERGENT
art by Anne Ramsden, Jesse Gray, & Yvonne Vander Koii

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

Hey #Nanaimo! We need volunteers for this 1st phase of a larger project I’m developing “The South End Pollinator Patchway”- creating native plant gardens in my neighbours’ front yards for free. Building community & strengthening the commons & creating habitat in our low-income urban neighbourhood.

Poster calling for volunteers on Oct 28 & Nov 1 to help build a pollinator pathway on Irwin street. Bordered by illustrations of purple asters & bleeding hearts, & 2 native bees flying around.

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Hoo boy I’m agreeing with Jeff Koons now this really is the wildest timeline 😂

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

This is so amazing thanks for sharing!!

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

Adored this one when you first posted.

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

We did a residency on Saltspring in June. There was a big area full of Andrena nests, & tons of Nomada. I compiled my observations into these info sheets to share with the residency. #dailybee #dailyisastateofmindwhenyoureaudhd #bcnativebees #saltspringisland #hemlockmicroresidency

A combination of photographs & handwritten text on a grey background. Photos are all of red & yellow Nomad bees, text describes my observations & gives basic info on this type of bee.

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

Ugh so sorry to hear this you guys! Let us know if you need anything.

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

Berke Breathed also did quite a bit of trump dumping in the 80s I think.

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

From a few weeks ago Melissodes female trying to balance those pollen thighs atop a wee aster flower #dailybee #bcnativebees #nativebees #vancouverisland #nanaimo #nativeplants #pollinators

A long horned bee with back legs packed with pollen is perched precariously on the top of a purple aster flower. She has her wings up for balance and a leg in the air

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

Bee season is waning Leafcutter lady/ Megachile fidelis on Grindelia doing the patented BBL (bee butt lift) She’s putting that wasp waist to good use #dailybee #bcnativebees #leafcutterbees #nativebees #nanaimo #vancouverisland #pollinators

A bee is in the centre of a bright yellow gumweed flower, collecting pollen. Her face is in shadow but her abdomen is pointed almost 90 degrees up from the rest of her body, with stripes of pale hair catching the sunlight

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Bombus butt (Bombutt? Bumblebum?) Another queenie clambering awkwardly through the sunflowers, breaking petals & bending leaves as she goes #dailybee #bcnativebees #bumblebee #nativebees

A large bumblebee seen from behind, climbing over several long leaves - her back end is striped in black, white, & rust red, & 3 of her legs are awkwardly splayed out to support her

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

Leap into the void These huge queens have wings but you wouldn’t know it from watching them climb thru the sunflowers & fling themselves from plant to plant #dailybee #bcnativebees #bombus #nativebees #vancouverisland #nanaimo

A black bumblebee with cream & deep orange stripes is sideways in midair between two flowers, her back legs starfished out behind her

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

2 different species of bumble queens out & about - they are so clumsy! They’re freaking huge & flowers just collapse under them, but they also just can’t seem to travel or land without a lot of scrabbling & clambering & clinging to petals #dailybee #bcnativebees #bumblebees

A black, blonde & rust red bumble bee is crawling through a sunflower, using the petals like a climbing structure

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

Bombus vancouverensis vancouverensis aka Vancouver Island Bumblebee Another massive, clumsy bumble queen, w/ a stunning colour palette & patterns #dailybee #bcnativebees #bumblebees #vancouverisland #nanaimo #pollinators

A round ball of a bumble bee sits upside down at the centre of a many-petaled yellow calendula. The bee is a striking combination of white, black, & rust red

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

Have ‘Isn’t She Lovely’ in my head all the time when going through bee pics It’s always true tho, just look at her & she might be one minute old, I wouldn’t know #dailybee #bcnativebees #nativebees #pollinators #nanaimo #vancouverisland #sweatbee

Most of the image is taken up by a golden yellow calendula blossom lit up by the midday sun, and in the centre of the flower is a shimmery metallic emerald green bee.

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

The compelling geometry of legs & petals & shadows & wings & antennae Green metallic sweat bee female on Douglas aster/Agapostemon on Symphyotrichum subspicatum #dailybee #bcnativebees #nativebees #pnwnativeplants #nativeplants #pollinators #pollinatorgarden

A shimmering metallic emerald green bee is seen from above as she perches in the orange centre of a light purple aster blossom. She has her legs splayed out to the sides for balance, her wings are up & her body is bent at the waist & the neck, & her shadow is being cast on the petals beside her. These elements together make a pleasing composition.

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Emphasizing the size dif btwn leaf cutter female & green sweat bee male In last post the little guy just flies straight into the huge lady, full speed bonk Those dudes are fearless & relentless patrolling ‘their’ flowers #bcnativebees #dailybee #nativebees #pollinators #nanaimo #beesbehavingbadly

A large dark bee is looking unconcerned while foraging in an orange calendula blossom, meanwhile a striped bee a third her size is just about to pounce on her from above

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Ooh yeah! It’s usually the boys who sleep outside on flowers & they’re like frat boys passed out after a party, awkwardly draped over the furniture.

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

Green metallic sweat bee males’ main job seems to be annoying other bees into leaving ‘their’ territory Poor leafcutter lady never gets a moment’s peace #beesbehavingbadly #dailybee #bcnativebees #nativebees #pollinatorgarden #urbangardening #vancouverisland

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

These ladies never seem to catch a break Female Leafcutter ambushed by male Leafcutter hoping to create some baby Leafcutters Megachile on Helianthus maximilliani #dailybee #bcnativebees #pollinators #nativebees #leafcutterbees #nanaimo #urbangardening

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Bee & my shadow Agapostemon/metallic green sweat bee lady on Maximillian sunflower preening in the midday sun #dailybee #bcnativebees #pollinatorgarden #urbangarden #beegarden #nativebees #nativeplants

At the bottom of a golden yellow composite flower, an emerald green metallic bee is lit from behind, & casting a distinct shadow of herself on the petals

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

Some of these leaf cutter ladies are real honkin chonkers Giant Megachile on average sized Douglas aster #dailybee #bcnativebees #nativebees #nativeplants #pnwnativeplants

A large black bee trimmed with blonde fur is perched on a light purple aster flower. She is extremely round, and is covering up most of the blossom with her body. She’s also carrying a load of orange pollen in the hairs under her abdomen.

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Sometimes finding new bee pics to post is beyond my abilities for the day, so how about this blue-eyed gem again Melissodes/long-horned lady, summer 2024 #dailybee #bcnativebees #nativebees #nanaimo

We are right up inside a bright golden flower, and in the middle is a bee looking straight at us with one big spotted blue eye. She is peeking at us from over the edge of a flower petal, and has her front foot propped up on the edge.

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

Megachile female from 2023 before I had a camera - iPhone macro lens is pretty good actually Only downside is having to stick my phone a cm from their face, only practical on cold mornings before they’re able to escape me Leaf cutter in Maximillian sunflower #dailybee #bcnativebees #nativebees

Super close up of a leaf cutter bee inside a sunflower blossom. She has a dark body with silvery-blonde hairs, a striped abdomen with orange pollen-carrying hairs on its underside, and a large glossy black eye.

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

Bees are just so flipping cute it’s hard for me to deal sometimes Leafcutter male on Aster/Megachile on Symphyotrichum subspicatum, 2024 #dailybee #bcnativebees #nativebees #nativeplants #megachile #vancouverisland #nanaimo

An extremely cute grey & black bee with huge spotted grey-green eyes is perched in the centre on top of a purple and orange aster flower.

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

Melissodes w/ their pollen pantaloons all big always remind me of Art from Monsters University.

Art from the Pixar movie Monster's University. He is purple and shaggy and shaped like an upside-down letter U with a mouth and hands in the middle.

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

I think about what it might be like to operate at this speed & live for only a couple weeks Their world is queererer than we can suppose, etc Melissodes/long-horned bee lady on Grindelia #dailybee #bcnativebees #nativebees #nativepollinators #nativeplants #grindelia #melissodes #vancouverisland

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

I’m mesmerized by how this starfish has overlapped her wings across her back; venation creating sharp, clear linear patterns that then fade into raggedness at the ends Yellow-faced bumblebee/Bombus vosnesenskii on perennial/Maximillian sunflower #dailybee #bcnativebees #nativebees #pollinators

A black & white/pale yellow bumblebee is hanging off the inside of a bright yellow flower while it drinks nectar. Its 4 back legs are spread out in all directions & bracing against the petals. Her wings have come together into an oval in the middle of her back, highlighting the linework patterns of veins. The back end of the oval is ragged & torn & barely visible, indicating that the bee is getting on in bee years.

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

Megachile fidelis, pretty sure All the leaf cutters are such a joy to look at Female, on Grindelia/gumweed July 2025 #dailybee #bcnativebees #nativebees #nativeplants #grindelia #nativebeesnothoneybees #vancouverisland #nanaimo

In the flat bottom of a yellow composite flower, a dark bee with big black eyes and light stripes on her abdomen is foraging with her wings and back end in the air.

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

These green metallic sweat bee dudes are so tenacious Especially in late afternoon, the ladies can’t spend 5 second foraging without some dingdong appearing out of nowhere (shazam!) Agapostemon on Grindelia #dailybee #bcnativebees #nativebees #nativeplants #bcnativeplants #vancouverisland

A bright metallic emerald green bee with orange pollen on her legs is foraging in a yellow composite flower. Above her, in silhouette, a male of her species is diving through the air straight towards her

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 24/08/2025

The detail in the mouthparts is so cool!

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 24/08/2025

I save pics like this in an album called ‘starfish’ Lady long-horned bee/Melissodes in Grindelia/gumweed, 2024 #dailybee #bcnativebees #nativebees #nativeplants #grindelia #melissodes #longhornedbee #vancouverisland

A brownish bee is inside a bright yellow flower; she has her back to us, looking almost like she’s standing up on her back legs, and she has her front 4 legs extended up in the air

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 23/08/2025

Sharp-tailed bee/Coelioxys She’s a kleptoparasite on leaf-cutter bees & uses that tail to punch a hole in the leaf-lined egg cell & lay her own egg inside Then her bebe kills any other eggs/larvae & gobbles up all the pollen stores #dailybee #bcnativebees #nativebees #grindelia #nativeplants

A large grey & black bee is launching herself into the air from a yellow composite flower. She has an extremely long, tapered abdomen that ends in a wicked-looking point

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Bombus vancouverensis vancouverensis (Vancouver Island Bumblebee) doing some kind of aster worship #bcnativebees #dailybee #bombus #bumblebee #nativeplants #nativebees

In the middle of a light purple aster flower, a blonde, black, & red bumblebee has its back to us and is sticking its two middle legs straight up in the air like it is about to ‘we’re not worthy’ the plant

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Don’t often get to see these ladies w/ out pollen in their pollen pants- they really do look like fun fur leg warmers worn to a rave in 2002 Melissodes/ long-horned bee in Grindelia #dailybee #bcnativebees #grindelia #nativebees #nativeplants #nativebeesnothoneybeez

A dark brown bee with white stripes on her abdomen is foraging in the bottom of a yellow composite flower, legs splayed to the side for purchase. Her two back legs are covered in long, blonde, silky looking fur

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

I feel like half my photos are bees peeking out over the top of flowers, judging me for being a creep Long-horned bee/Melissodes lady on Grindelia #dailybee #bcnativebees #melissodes #longhornedbee #grindelia #nativeplants #pollinators #nativebees #nativebeesnothoneybees

A blonde & brown fluffy bee is half hidden in a yellow flower- she appears to be peeking at the camera over the edge of a petal with one large blue & grey spotted eye.

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

Late summer is Megachile time My fave charismatic chunky-fauna are these leafcutters #dailybee #bcnativebees #megachile #leafcutterbees #douglasaster

A light purple aster blossom is in the foreground; just about to pass behind it is a stocky dark bee with fluffy white body fur and orange pollen carrying hairs on her underbelly. She appears to be looking right at the camera with a large matte black eye

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The South End Daily Bee @msjessegray.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

Found a one-winged sweat bee on the sidewalk in the cold this afternoon He was flipping & flopping in circles & crawled right up onto my hand when I put it down beside him - he hung out & groomed his tiny antennae Filled a container w/ flowers which he drank from, then put it all outside

A tiny dark bee with big matte black eyes is perched on my grubby white lady gardener finger

The same tiny bee on my finger seen from behind, where it’s obvious he is missing both of his left wings & some of his right one as well

The same little bee perched on the edge of a yellow flower petal, his upper body covered in pollen from his time drinking nectar

I tried to make a little food & rest area for him- he’s perched on the edge of a yarrow flower amongst a forest of other flowers & leaves

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