A bumblebee listed on the endangered species list is showing up in Eastern Iowa. The rusty patched bumblebee has been spotted on properties owned and managed by the conservation nonprofit Bur Oak Land Trust. Jason Taylor, a property stewardship specialist with the Trust, says the actual number of the bees remains low but they’re moving into new territory.
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The US Fish and Wildlife Service added the rusty patched bumblebee to the endangered species list in January of 2017 after its population declined by 87-percent over two decades. It’s been sighted on preserves near Hills and Solon, and on the north side of Iowa City.
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Earlier this month, the Iowa DNR reported it identified the rusty patched bumblebee in seven counties in the state. That included Johnson County, as well as Allamakee, Black Hawk, Boone, Clayton, Jackson, and Winneshiek counties.