Researchers have identified as many as 80 native species of bees in Santa Cruz as part of a University of California study of the state’s bee population. There are approximately 4,000 native bee species in the United States, with 1,600—well over a third—in California alone. The study investigated bee species prevalent in seven urban areas statewide, with the focus in Santa Cruz on the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and the Soquel garden of Kimberly Carter Gamble. The researchers attributed the number of species to the rich diversity of plants in the city’s gardens. The count would have been even higher, they explained, were it not for fog banks and cool weather that affected the city during the study. With warmer weather, they add, the count could be even higher. Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Santa Cruz Abuzz with Bees
