Desert Digger Bee vs Arctic Fritillary

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Desert Digger Bee Arctic Fritillary
Scientific Name Centris pallida Boloria chariclea
Order Hymenoptera Lepidoptera
Family Apidae Nymphalidae
Size 15-22 mm 28-36 mm wingspan
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Tundra & Arctic
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions North America Arctic North America, Scandinavia, Siberia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Desert Digger Bee

A large, fuzzy solitary bee of the Sonoran Desert that nests in burrows in hard-packed soil. Males patrol nesting areas and dig up emerging females to mate.

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Did You Know?

Males locate females still underground by detecting their scent through the soil surface.

Arctic Fritillary

A small, orange-brown fritillary butterfly of arctic and alpine tundra. Its underside has distinctive silvery-white markings.

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Did You Know?

It can complete its life cycle in the brief two-month arctic summer.