American Bumble Bee Bombus pensylvanicus

Once common throughout eastern North America, this beloved native bumblebee is now classified as a threatened species—a dramatic reversal for an insect that ranges from eastern Canada through the eastern United States to Mexico. Why the decline? Habitat loss, pesticides, and disease have taken their toll on this fuzzy pollinator. Their disappearance serves as a warning sign about the hidden crisis affecting pollinators we rarely notice until they're gone.