The San Clemente Digger Bee, a rare species believed to be exclusive to San Clemente Island, has been spotted at the Cabrillo National Monument. Not seen for three years, the Anthophora urbana Clementina made an unexpected comeback when observed foraging on native flora. Community scientists and researchers, busy collecting data, confirmed the bee's unexpected presence on the mainland since its last sighting in early September 2020, according to a report from NBC San Diego.
While the National Parks Service has nurtured a curiosity for this anthophilous anomaly, it was the collective efforts of citizen scientists contributing to iNaturalist.org that cast a wider net on the occurrence of native bees in the area, yielding data on over 60 other bee species, as stated by Times of San Diego.
A visual testament to this serendipitous find, an Instagram post by user Craig Chaddock showcases the bee dancing among the blooms of California Buckwheat. This sighting, amongst the nearly 3,200 observations of native bees recorded, was also shared alongside other validation from naturalist enthusiasts, as shown on Chaddock's Instagram. The National Parks Service tips its hat to these findings, expressing in a statement obtained by NBC San Diego: "The great mystery as to why and how the San Clemente Digger Bee made its way to Cabrillo National Monument has yet to be solved".
