Oregon is home to some of the richest bee biodiversity in the nation. Around 600 species can be found here, but the exact number is unknown because no one has really taken a good look. Until now. The Oregon Bee Atlas is a one-of-a-kind program in the U.S. that is led by volunteers working under the umbrella of OSU Extension. Over the past three years, these volunteers have contributed 70,000 new bee records from every county in the state. They have found some rare species including a metallic sweat bee from the Alvord Desert, a wool carder bee that was found nesting in the sand dunes around Newport and, in Ashland, the first recording in the state of a squash bee.

Grumpbee is a mining bee. Females dig a hole in bare ground and build their nests in the soil. Males have markings on their face. The marking on this species looks like a frown. But like Grumpy Cat, he isn?t grumpy at all. He is gentle and kind-natured. Some people even call the bees in this family ?tickle bees.? There are over 200 species of mining bees in Oregon, making his the biggest family in the state. This specific bee was found by Atlas volunteer Debra Brimacombe, in her efforts to help inventory all the bee species in Oregon.