Authors: Olivia Messinger Carril and Joseph S. Wilson

Bees play a vitally important role in the pollination of native plants and agricultural crops around the globe. These stunningly beautiful insects come in a wide range of sizes, shapes, and colors.

There are more than 3,000 species in western North America, and identifying them is a challenging task even for taxonomists.

“Common Bees of Western North America” is the first species-level photographic field guide to the most commonly seen bees in the western United States and Canada, focusing on those that are found in urban environments, specialize on unique plants, or are especially distinctive in appearance.