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As the height-of-summer floral abundance fades, goldenrods and asters fill the landscape with hits of yellow, purple, pink, and white. Beyond the beauty they provide, these late bloomers are a critical food source for several native species of wild native bees.
During late summer and fall, many specialist wild bees are active, said Spencer Hardy, a biologist at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies and project coordinator for its Vermont Wild Bee Survey. There are more than 350 species of wild bees identified so far in Vermont, according to the survey.
