/məˌlɪtoʊˈflɔːrə/
meh-lit-toe-flaw-ruh
Welcome to the Melittoflora. The name combines the greek Melitta, meaning bee, and flora, which aggregates the plant taxa from a specific region. In this case the Melittoflora is a data exploration, visualization, and analytical interface that empowers users to explore species occurrence records of bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) interacting with flowering plants (Plantae: Tracheophyta), visualize their complex networks, and output a variety of informative products.
The OSU Extension Service Master Melittologist Program is an educational program about bee biodiversity, ecology, and health that is open to the public. Part of this training prepares motivated participants to produce museum quality bee specimens, and digitized records of their associated floral hosts for the Oregon Bee Atlas. These specimens are donated to the Pollinator Health Lab by the Master Melittologists who are taking part in the Atlas initiative, and the specimens are identified by expert bee taxonomists, and trained Master Melittologist parataxonomists. This data becomes available as it is curated and can be accessed through the Melittoflora or through data aggregators such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) where the Oregon Bee Atlas data is published on a semi-annual basis. Our goal is to make this rich data available to a broad suite of users who are all working to conserve and biodiversify the landscape.
Citations for the Melittoflora interface and the data driving it can be found on our Contributors page. If you find errors, bugs or would like to request a feature, you can submit it here. The Melittoflora visualization interface was supported by a Pollinator Health Grant from USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (2023-67013-39913).
