[1] It is native to eastern North America, including Ontario in Canada and much of the eastern United States, as far west as the Great Plains.

[1] This species creates above-ground nests in grassland and other open habitat types.

It feeds at many types of plants, including thistles, prairie clovers, delphiniums, teasels, echinacea, bergamot, penstemons, clovers, and vetches.

[1] This is a fairly large bumblebee; workers and males are about 1.7 to 2.0 cm long, while queens can be up to 2.5 cm in length.

[2] This bee was previously thought to be conspecific with the Nevada bumblebee (B. nevadensis), but the two are now considered separate species.