2012 Canadian $20 Aster with Venetian Glass Bumblebee 1 oz Fine Silver Coin

2012 Canada $20 Aster with Venetian Glass Bumblebee 1 oz Fine Silver Coin

It is one of summer's iconic moments: a buzzing black-and-yellow bumble bee plodding heavily from delicate bloom to delicate bloom. A subgroup of the roughly 730 described species of bees (Apoidea: Anthophila) in Canada, bumble bees (genus Bombus), native to the Americas as well as Europe, Asia, and North Africa, are important pollinators crucial to the ongoing survival of many flowering plants.

Bumble bees in particular engage in a practice known as 'buzz pollination,' where, clutching a flower's stamen with their jaws, they rapidly vibrate their wing muscles, loosening and scattering pollen.

Bumble bees are among the most resilient types of bees and prefer temperate climates. Because they are generalists, gathering nectar and pollen from a wide variety of flowers (up to 20 flowers per minute), it is somewhat easier for them to survive environmental changes. Nevertheless, like many bees, they are threatened by factors such as habitat loss, parasites, and pathogens. Luckily, anyone can help to support and attract bumble and other bee populations by planting a variety of native flowering plants.

Specifications

Face Value: $20
Mintage: 10,000
Composition: 99.99% Silver
Diameter (mm): 38
Weight (g): 31.39
Finish: Proof