Images

Wayyyyyy up in the Andes spitting distance from Argentina, this wee Callonychium chilense was collected on an expedition with Laurence Packer to southern Chile. One of those one way dirt roads that hugs the mountains and gives one opportunity to fall into the valley in a truly spectacular way. Memorable.

Southern South America is where you will find this as yet another group of relatively little studied bees. This one collected in Peru by the Packer lab and has some nice Wing Interference Pop.

Dominican Republic

Cardamine hirsuta, Beltsville, Maryland

Hold Poo Over its Body - Yep, this is Cassida rubiginosa the Thistle Tortoise Beetle brought over here to fight the Canada Thistle, which is not actually from Canada, but just another example of how we try to bring Canada down by associating it with Alien Pests.

Dominican Republic, Centris species female,

The Striped Bark Scorpion. A lovely specimen found on the floor of FT Eyre in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. It is always good to have friends who send you such lovely presents in the mail. This is the only scorpion in the state and over the next few days I will post more shots of this baby. Check out the hypodermic at the end of the sting.

The Striped Bark Scorpion. A lovely specimen found on the floor of FT Eyre in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. It is always good to have friends who send you such lovely presents in the mail. This is the only scorpion in the state and over the next few days I will post more shots of this baby. Check out the hypodermic at the end of the sting.

Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis. Likes its feet wet, bumper crops of bees (particularly Hylaeus) and butterflies. No specialists in the bee arena, but adds pollen and nectar in wetlands. Photo and specimen by Helen Lowe Metzman.

White Oak Borer (Goes tigrinus) - larvae live in living white and related oaks - , but which one? Where is a Coleopterist when you need one... Collected by Bob Trumbule, fab entomologist for the state of Maryland in our building (likely because there elements of dead wood present).

White Oak Borer (Goes tigrinus) - larvae live in living white and related oaks - , but which one? Where is a Coleopterist when you need one... Collected by Bob Trumbule, fab entomologist for the state of Maryland in our building (likely because there elements of dead wood present).

And now....Ceratina from Asia! Vietnam to be exact. The overall shape and aspect of Ceratinaness remains but what lovely facial colors or maculations as the old literature calls them. A betting person would use the patterns of past specimens to guess that the female will have fewer maculations, but the stripe running down the center of the clypeus will remain.

Tiny, Tiny, Ceratina arizonensis from the Zuma Canyon in the Santa Monica National Recreation Area in coastal California. Almost all Ceratina have that white stripe (or some greater embellishment thereof) on their face and are relatively hairless, perhaps because of their lifestyle in the pith of plant stems or...perhaps not.

Ceratina species in the Domincan Republic

Yet more Ceratina pictures, diversity demands it. This series is from specimens collected in Panama by Sandra Rehan (UNH) as part of her mission to know everything there is to know about Ceratinas.

More Hylaeus from Panama, this little species was collected by Sandra Rehan, lovely wing pop or wing interference patterns. So glossy you can see the camera lens in the reflections.

More Hylaeus from Panama, this little species was collected by Sandra Rehan, lovely wing pop or wing interference patterns. So glossy you can see the camera lens in the reflections.

Ceratina smaragdula, male, and introduced bee, Hawaii, Oahu, March 2012

Female Ceratina strenua

Bombus variabilis, male, St. Mary's County, Maryland, Nest parasite, now extremely rare

Bombus variabilis, male, St. Mary's County, Maryland, Nest parasite, now extremely rare