Blackthorn Mining Bee vs common dog-violet

Andrena varians compared with Viola riviniana

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blackthorn Mining Bee	common dog-violet
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)
Family	Andrenidae	Violaceae
Genus	Andrena	Viola
Species	Andrena varians	Viola riviniana

Conservation Status

Blackthorn Mining Bee

LC — Least Concern

common dog-violet

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blackthorn Mining Bee	common dog-violet
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blackthorn Mining Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

common dog-violet

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (7 countries), North America (Canada), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia).

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.

common dog-violet

<em>Viola riviniana</em>, the common dog-violet, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Violaceae. This species is widely distributed across Europe, including records from seven European countries, as well as Canada and Australia, where it occupies diverse terrestrial habitats such as woodlands, hedgerows, grasslands, and moorlands. The common dog-violet is characterized by its heart-shaped leaves and violet-blue, spurred flowers that typically bloom from spring through early summer. Unlike many violets, its flowers are unscented. <em>Viola riviniana</em> often spreads both by seed and vegetatively via rhizomes, forming patches in suitable habitats. This species is an important larval food plant for several fritillary butterfly species, making it ecologically significant for butterfly conservation in Britain and Europe. It generally favors well-drained, slightly acidic soils in partially shaded environments. The common dog-violet is assessed as Least Concern, with stable populations across most of its range. Its adaptation to a variety of woodland and grassland habitats contributes to its widespread occurrence.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden