Bell Heather vs Blackthorn Mining Bee

Erica cinerea compared with Andrena varians

Key Differences

Bell Heather is Vulnerable while Blackthorn Mining Bee is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bell Heather	Blackthorn Mining Bee
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Ericales (Ericales)	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family	Ericaceae	Andrenidae
Genus	Erica	Andrena
Species	Erica cinerea	Andrena varians

Conservation Status

Bell Heather

VU — Vulnerable

Blackthorn Mining Bee

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bell Heather	Blackthorn Mining Bee
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bell Heather

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests spanning the Australasia and Oceanian realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Blackthorn Mining Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Bell Heather

The Bell Heather (Erica cinerea) is a species in the genus Erica. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests spanning the Australasia and Oceanian realms.

Blackthorn Mining Bee

The Blackthorn Mining Bee (Andrena varians) is a species in the genus Andrena. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Distributed across Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.