Photo by Michael Veit
Aster Mining Bee
The Aster mining bee, which is about the size of a honey bee, is found in the Northeastern United States and in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. The female bee is larger than the male. Its yellow bands on the abdomen give it a striped look. The female carries the pollen on her hind legs (or armpits). Like the female aster mining bee, the male bees are active pollinators in late August through October. The male bee has significant yellow coloring on its face. The aster mining bee tends to be solitary, often nesting in soils and cracks in dirt roads and parking lots. As one might expect with the name “mining,” these bees’ nests are often tunneled underground.
What do you love about this particular creature?
What do they reveal to you about God and our faith?
The Psalmist (148:10) reminds us that all the “small creatures and flying birds” praise God with joy. It is a lovely image to consider that the Aster mining bee is also joyfully praising God just by its very presence in the universe. As you are reading this passage in late Summer, the Aster mining bee is buzzing around in the prime of its short life. The bee seeks out the beautiful asters and vibrant goldenrod, which flourish in New England. A bee travels around God’s creation, foraging for God’s gift of nectar to deliver to another part of God’s natural wonders. The glory of God is revealed in this symbiotic relationship. What a wonderful reminder that all the creation is in relationship with God, just as God desires relationship with all creation. May you see a bee in the next few days so as to be blessed by their presence and joy!
Author - The Rev. Stephanie M. Johnson
Reverend Stephanie M. Johnson is the Rector at St. Paul's Church in Riverside Ct and the co-convener of the Episcopal Green Caucus. She lives close to the beautiful Long Island Sound, which is filled with the beauty of God's Creation.
Ever present God, we thank you for the gift of bees. Bees that help all your creation flourish. Bees who offer their gifts to flowers and milkweed and clover. In the smallest of creatures, You have revealed the wonders of all your creation. Bless the plants that thrive off the love and work of the bees. Help us to cherish all of these wonders, just as you cherish them. Guide us in the care of all that You love and have made. And in the words of Emily Dickinson’s Trinity: “In the name of the Bee — And of the Butterfly — And of the Breeze — Amen!”