I’m a vet for bees – I think I might be the only one in the US

Every bee is precious, and as the weather gets more erratic I'm growing concerned about the effect it is having on their wellbeing

• Read about our invertebrate of the year competition here

• Photographs by Kate Medley

I'm an only child and grew up in the US in a time when children were free-range. My parents would open the door in the morning and say, come back for meals." I would disappear into the forest and wetlands. I loved the constant stories around me that I didn't understand: the stories of animals.

When I was about seven there was a litter of kittens in the house, and a board crushed one of the kittens. The vet examined her mouth and said, she's not going to make it", and minutes later she died in his hands. I couldn't understand how he knew that - I wanted that superpower to understand animals, and that is why I wanted to become a vet. I got a degree and have been working as an environmental health scientist for more than 25 years.