Native Bees are a Rich Natural Resource in Urban California Gardens (Report‪)‬

Author(s): Gordon W. Frankie, UC Berkeley, Robbin W. Thorp, UC Davis, Jennifer Hernandez, UC Berkeley, Mark Rizzardi, Humboldt State University, Barbara Ertter, UC Berkeley, Jaime C. Pawelek, UC Berkeley, Sara L. Witt, UC Berkeley, Mary Schindler, UC Berkeley, Rollin Coville, UC Berkeley, Victoria A. Wojcik, UC Berkeley Outdoor urban areas worldwide are known to support a rich diversity of insect life (Frankie and Ehler 1978). Some insects are undesirable and characterized as pests, such as aphids, snails, earwigs and borers; urban residents are most aware of these. Other urban insects are considered beneficial or aesthetically pleasing, such as ladybird beetles and butterflies; this category includes a rich variety of insects whose roles in gardens go largely unnoticed and are thus underappreciated (Grissell 2001; Tallamy 2009). They regularly visit flowers and pollinate them, an important ecological service.