California photographer and conservationist Krystle Hickman is on a quest to document hundreds of species of native bees, which are under threat by climate change and habitat loss.
Photographer Krystle Hickman photographs wild bees as desert sunflowers blanket the valley floor at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in San Diego County, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Damian Dovarganes
This photo, provided by Krystle Hickman, shows an Anthophora crotchii male bee on March 13, 2021 in the Santa Monica Mountains, Calif. (Krystle Hickman via AP)
Krystle Hickman
This photo, provided by Krystle Hickman, shows an Anthidium formosum male bee on Sept. 10, 2023 in the Sawtooth Mountain Range, Idaho. (Krystle Hickman via AP)
Krystle Hickman
Ecologist Julia Michaels, left, and photographer Krystle Hickman search for bees to photograph in a field of wildflowers at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in San Diego County, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Damian Dovarganes
This photo, provided by Krystle Hickman, shows an Andrena prunorum male bee on March 7, 2021 in the Orcas Park region of Los Angeles. (Krystle Hickman via AP)
Krystle Hickman
Photographer Krystle Hickman photographs wild bees as desert sunflowers blanket the valley floor at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in San Diego County, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Damian Dovarganes
Photographer Krystle Hickman photographs wild bees as desert sunflowers blanket the valley floor at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in San Diego County, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Damian Dovarganes
This photo, provided by Krystle Hickman, shows a Perdita californica male bee on May, 1, 2025 at Orange Hills Regional Park in Orange, Calif. (Krystle Hickman via AP)
Krystle Hickman
Photographer Krystle Hickman walks in a field of wildflowers while photographing wild bees at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in San Diego County, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
In the Southern California desert, Krystle Hickman waits hours to photograph native bees threatened by climate change and habitat loss. She’s documented more than 300 species.
