Maryland Native Pollinators and Plants to Support Them – Confusing Bumble Bee

Jun 25, 2025 | Native Plant Spotlight

Native Bee Spotlight: Confusing Bumble Bee (Bombus perplexus)

We were excited to spot an unusual native bumble bee in the nursery recently: Bombus perplexus, the Confusing Bumble Bee. This bumble bee has an uneven distribution in Maryland — while it is relatively common in northern and western Maryland, it is uncommon south of that and essentially absent from the coastal plain. Even in the north and west its distribution can be patchy, and in fact we rarely see it at our nursery, hence our excitement. This bumble bee tends to be bright yellow and has long hair, giving it an especially fluffy (i.e. cute) look, even for a bumble bee. It’s called “confusing” because its color pattern can make it tricky to distinguish from some other bumble bee species. Bumble bees are generalist pollinators, which means they visit a wide variety of flowers, but they often have preferences. The Confusing Bumble Bee tends to favor hydrangeas (which is what the individual we spotted was visiting), harebells (Campanula), and beardtongues (Penstemon), of which we have several varieties available for sale at our nursery.