Images

I think many people think of cacti as icons, something made for us to look at, but since we rarely use cacti for anything and because their fleshy shapes and lifestyles are so different we think of them more as lampposts than integrated into our landscapes as much as the grasses, forbs, and trees. But without cacti entire worlds would disappear.

Collops bipunctatus, taken from flowers in Badlands National Park, South Dakota

A tiny little bee from Arizona. Conanthalictus is usually a specialist on small low growing plants in the waterleaf family. Collected by Tim McMahon or Don Harvey on one of their expeditions to the region. Note the lovely shades of the wing coloration that pop when you use a black background.

What a little lovely parasitic wasp in the Chalcididae clan. This one appears to be Conura dema, based on picture booking from bugguide.net. I am not sure if that is true or not, but it is a very reasonable match, but I will let experts determine and validate that identification. Captured at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County, Maryland.

Helicoverpa zea - Corn Earworm - According to Wikipedia its the second most economically damaging insect pest in North America, chewing on a wide variety of crop plants. This most certainly is true, but it also not a bad looking animal when viewed close up.

Helicoverpa zea - Corn Earworm - According to Wikipedia its the second most economically damaging insect pest in North America, chewing on a wide variety of crop plants. This most certainly is true, but it also not a bad looking animal when viewed close up.

Corynura species. Species is unknown...from Southern Chile captured while on an expedition with Laurence Packer. Photography by Anders Croft.

Cotesia congregata - a little parasite of caterpillars. This one is from Karen Kester's lab in Richmond where she and her gradstudents raise them and discover things about the host (Sphinx moths I believe) parasite relationship. Photo by Greta Forbes.

South Carolina, carolina sandhills national wildlife refuge

South Dakota, Badlands national Park

An uncommon dark Dianthidium from Florida. This one captured on the Atlantic coast in Canaveral National Seashore, Photographed by Brooke AlexanderCanon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200

A pollen laden Dianthidium parkeri from Cochise County, Arizona collected by Don Harvey. This genus is associated with drylands. A few occur in the East, but are almost entirely restricted to dry sandy soil habitats. Features here to look at, bee-wise, are the very large wing covers and the winged projections at the corners of the thorax behind the head.

A pollen laden Dianthidium parkeri from Cochise County, Arizona collected by Don Harvey. This genus is associated with drylands. A few occur in the East, but are almost entirely restricted to dry sandy soil habitats. Features here to look at, bee-wise, are the very large wing covers and the winged projections at the corners of the thorax behind the head.

A pollen laden Dianthidium parkeri from Cochise County, Arizona collected by Don Harvey. This genus is associated with drylands. A few occur in the East, but are almost entirely restricted to dry sandy soil habitats. Features here to look at, bee-wise, are the very large wing covers and the winged projections at the corners of the thorax behind the head.

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

South Dakota, Badlands national Park

Dieunomia heteropoda, female , Anne Arundel County, Maryland, September, Only known colony in the state

In full bloom this is more of a lavender/blue flower, but not one that people pay much mind to. Diodia teres, often called Poorjoe, is a plant associated with highly disturbed, often sandy dry sites. Does well, I have collected bees off it, but not enough to make much of a study of it. This specimen was collected and photographed by Helen Lowe Metzman.

Here is a 2 picture series of persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) flowers. Some trees are male (staminate) and some are female (pistilate). The easy to come by literature of the web searchers says they are pollinated by insects and the wind. I have never collected off them (too high up and am guessing not super attractive to bees).

The male flowers of the local persimmon tree (Diospyros virginiana). This does not seem to be much of a bee tree in terms of pollen and nectar use by bees, given that male and female trees are separate, there must be wind or other transport for pollination. Specimen and pictures by Helen Lowe Metzman.

The first set in a long series of pictures to come out of a visit to Laurence Packer's lab, where we are picking out all sorts of lovely world wide bees to photograph. This dandy (yes it is tomato colored) is common in the temperate areas of Chile and Argentina, this bad girl is from Chile.