Native Bees of the Lower Rio Grande Valley: A Photographic Guide

The Lower Rio Grande Valley is an ecologically unique region acclaimed for its biodiversity and great conservation value. The Valley harbors a multitude of wild bee species rarely seen north of Mexico--many found almost exclusively in Texas or along the Texas-Mexico border. Habitat loss, increasing drought, and border politics threaten habitats along the Rio Grande, and many of these species are at risk of disappearing before they’ve even been documented: fascinating species such as the rare Texas mesoxaea, the emerald-green Aztec sweat bee, the formidable Totonac cuckoo leafcutter, or the elusive Ptiloglossa feather-tongued bee.

Photographer and author Paula Sharp has painstakingly documented more than 100 bee species from within 45 distinct genera to produce Native Bees of the Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley, offering readers a rare glimpse of the region’s bee life. Many of the bees shown here have never appeared in published photographs. Each species is presented in colorful detail, accompanied by floral associations and short histories summarizing entomological research conducted to date. Sharp combines formidable research skills with dazzling photographic artistry to render a guide that is comprehensive, informative, and beautiful. This richly illustrated and authoritative guide to native bee species in the Texas Rio Grande Valley will be of great interest to avocational and professional naturalists, entomologists, conservationists, apiculturists, and nature enthusiasts, especially in the region.

PAULA SHARP is a photojournalist and writer based in Mount Kisko, New York. She is the co-creator, with photographer Ross Eatman, of the websites Wild Bees of New York and Wild Bees of Texas. An exhibit of Sharp and Eatman’s photographs of native bees toured prominent national museums and botanical gardens including the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens.