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Los Angeles Times Best Science Books of 2025
Los Angeles Times Best Book Club Pick of 2026
Journey through the world of California native bees, one letter at a time.
"Krystle Hickman's travels across wild landscapes reveal rare and elusive pollinators, each one meticulously photographed and arranged in a brilliant A-to-Z tribute." —Olivia Messinger Carril, coauthor of The Bees in Your Backyard
National Geographic Explorer Krystle Hickman has spent a decade capturing exquisitely detailed photographs of native bees and making exciting discoveries about their behavior in the field. In her debut book of natural history, she offers an intimate look at the daily habits of rare and overlooked native bees in California: those cloaked in green or black or red, that live alone in the ground or sleep inside flowers, that invade nests and pillage resources like infinitesimal conquerors, or that, unlike more generalist honeybees, are devoted exclusively to the pollen of a single type of flower. A committed conservationist and community scientist who knows all too well how precarious the wellbeing of these insects is, Hickman shares her adventures in local native plant gardens and throughout the far reaches of California to bring the beauty of such diverse ecosystems into wondrous bee's-eye view. Meant for all curious readers, this collection of bee stories—one for each letter of the alphabet, matching the first letter of a bee's scientific name—will leave you both wowed and compelled to help save these fascinating beings and the lands they call home.
Los Angeles Times Best Science Books of 2025
Los Angeles Times Best Book Club Pick of 2026
Los Angeles Times Best Affordable Books for Plant Lovers of 2025
2025 Foreword INDIES Award Finalist, Environment & Ecology
2026 Next Generation Indie Book Award Winner
2026 Eric Hoffer Book Award Finalist
"From windswept deserts to coastal bluffs and alpine meadows, Krystle Hickman's travels across wild landscapes reveal rare and elusive pollinators, each one meticulously photographed and arranged in a brilliant A-to-Z tribute. Her evocative writing brings each bee's story (and her own) to life." —Olivia Messinger Carril, coauthor of The Bees in Your Backyard
"When Krystle Hickman talks bees, I listen. This book is a stunning portrait of the landscape around us, and then Krystle draws us in closer to a macro look at the overlooked, diverse, gorgeous, fascinating bees that deserve our attention and awe. As readers, we are so lucky to experience these creatures' stories through her eyes and words." —Alie Ward, host of the Ologies podcast"Nat Geo Explorer Krystle Hickman takes us with her on several years of adventures discovering the myriad fascinating native bees of California. If you've ever wanted to know more about our unique native ground and twig-nesting bees, this is the essential bee primer for you. I encourage you to dive in and enjoy this vibrant bestiary, illustrated with 237 of her breathtakingly beautiful original photographs." —Stephen Buchmann, co-author of The Forgotten Pollinators
"Be warned. This book might induce readers to become more careful observers of bees, seek venues for nature walks or become curious about native plants. [...] A fascinating read [with] superb photographs." —California Review of Books
Krystle Hickman is a National Geographic Explorer and community scientist based in Los Angeles. With a passion for nature and an eye for artful photography, Hickman strives to elevate awareness of the decline of native bee species and shed light on their intricate and biodiverse ecosystems. Hickman's commitment to conservation takes her across the globe, documenting rare native bees without resorting to any form of lethal collecting. Hickman’s influence extends beyond the lens: She has graced multiple television and online broadcasts, been interviewed on podcasts such as Ologies, presented at the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16) in Colombia, and lectured at colleges such as Harvard, UC Irvine, UCLA, and more.
Introduction 00
A is for Melissodes agilis: the Agile Longhorn Bee
B is for Megachile browni: the Brown’s Resin Bee 00
C is for Lasioglossum cembrilacus: the Timberlake’s Metallic-Sweat Bee
D is for Perdita dentata: the Dentate Fairy Bee/p>
E is for Diadasia enavata: the Sunflower Turret Bee
F is for Bombus flavidus: the Yellowish Cuckoo Bumble Bee
G is for Colletes hyalinus gaudialis: the Delightful Hyaline Cellophane Bee
H is for Anthophora hololeuca: the All-white Micro-Digger Bee
I is for Perdita interrupta: the California Poppy Fairy Bee
J is for Hoplitis jacintana: the San Jacinto Cryptantha-Mason Bee
K is for Ancylandrena koebelei: the Koebele’s Desert-Mining Bee
L is for Trachusa larreae: the Creosote Resin-Leafcutter Bee
M is for Brachynomada melanantha: the California Smooth-Nomad Bee
N is for Dieunomia nevadensis: the Nevada Nomia Bee
O is for Andrena olivacea: the Olivaceous Mining Bee
P is for Anthidium placitum: the Pleading Woolcarder Bee
Q is for Osmia montana quadriceps: the Square-headed Mason Bee
R is for Holcopasites ruthae: the Riverside Cuckoo Bee
S is for Melecta separata callura: the Lovely-tailed Mourning Bee
T is for Xeralictus timberlakei: the Timberlake’s Blazingstar-Shortface Bee
U is for Anthophora urbana: the Urbane Digger Bee
V is for Oreopasites vanduzeei: the Van Duzee’s Mountain-Cuckoo Bee
W is for Conanthalictus wilmattae: the Wilmatte’s Phacelia-Shortface Bee
X is for Ashmeadiella xenomastax: the Square-jawed Angled-Mason Bee
Y is for Perdita yanegai: the Yanega’s Fairy Bee
Z is for Calliopsis zonalis: the Zone-tailed Banded-Mining Bee
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Sources
About the Author