Back in June we blogged about Clay Bolt and his journey to find a Rusty Patch bumblebee. Clay is a philosophical photographer who chased one ghost and ended up taking a lesson from another. Now, saving Rusty Patched bumblebees has become his mission.
In 2017 the Rusty Patched bumblebee, known as bombus affinis, had the dubious distinction of being the first bee species to be added to the ‘Endangered Species’ list.
As of 2019, one in four North American bumblebee species are now at risk of extinction. We thought revisiting Clay and remembering the challenges of the Rusty Patched bumblebee would make for a worthy Friday blog post. We were pleased to find this shorter version video to share with you here.
At just 7:09 minutes long, it inspires and teaches us how one man's purpose can become a heart-warming bridge that illuminates the rest of us about the plight of this ghost-in-the-making. It’s good to know people like Clay are out there in the world doing their thing and sharing it with all of us.
If you have time, we highly suggest you watch the full longer version of this movie. You can watch it in our June blog post about A Ghost in the Making. It is thought-provoking and at the same time there is something enchanting about it that lifts you up and gives you hope.
And for those who enjoy our short Friday bee videos, here are 2 more short videos about bumblebees that you will love.
Here is a 3-minute 4k macro slow motion video of some amazing bumblebees. It is filmed at the weedy edge of a garage door in a back alley, but up close it looks like a magical whole other world.
And last but not least for this week, have you ever thought about training a bumblebee? Wondered if it can be done? Well yes, it can, and this 2:35-minute video shows how easy it is to do.
Bees are the masters of teamwork. We can learn so much from how they stick together to help each other learn new things.
Happy weekend to one and all, and bee safe out and about!