Andrena asteris aggregations in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Our research contact in the GSMNP, Paul Super, alerted us to the presence of this unique aggregation of ground-nesting bees in the national park a couple of years ago. Apparently, this space used to be an old tennis court, and there must be something special about the way the soil was managed, because there are tons of Andrena asteris (among others) nesting in this small area. Andrena asteris specialize on late season Asteraceae pollen. They also leave a sand plug in their nest entrance, so it is very difficult to dig up their nests (although I believe Bryan Danforth has successfully done so!).

This area is also absolutely gorgeous in the autumn. Here are some selected photos from 2020.

Sam and I went back this autumn, so here are some photos from this year!