Images

Such a lovely blue and relatively unusual in the Genus Lasioglossum. At least in the East there is no other Lasioglossum so extensively and uniformly blue. So blue that it is often mistaken for an Osmia. This species is associated with woodlands, feeding on the vernal flora of the woods and nearby fields and nesting in rotten wood.

Lake Michigan has dunes and in those dunes are all sorts of rare and uncommon things including bees. This picture come from Indiana Dune National Lakeshore. It is not of a rare bee, but a very common one Lasioglossum coriaceum. You can search up some of the rare ones.

Lasioglossum creberrimum, Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas

Collected by Noel Pavlovic who provides these tidbits. Larinus planus, a biocontrol weevil, for Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) that is infesting the federally threatened Pitcher's thistle (Cirsium pitcheri).

Collected by Noel Pavlovic who provides these tidbits. Larinus planus, a biocontrol weevil, for Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) that is infesting the federally threatened Pitcher's thistle (Cirsium pitcheri).

Larrini, Unknown species, Dorchester County, April 2012, MarylandLiris argentatus?

6 views of Lasioglossum species which from the sandy areas of Humboldt County, in Redwoods National Park. An Unknown but interesting species, it will have to wait for someone to come along who knows more that we do. Picture by Amanda Robinson.

6 views of Lasioglossum species which from the sandy areas of Humboldt County, in Redwoods National Park. VAn Unknown but interesting species, it will have to wait for someone to come along who knows more that we do. Picture by Amanda Robinson.

Denny Johnson from Eau Claire County in Wisconsin provided this specimen. Another Lasioglossum and one that was until recently cleared up by Jason Gibbs involved in thousands of misidentifications...many by myself.

Lasioglossum albipes, Polysocial Hairy-tongued Bee, specimen collected in FranceBecause of the very well known biology of Honey Bees some may believe that all bees have complex social lives. However, very few of the more than 20,000 species of bees discovered actually has a complex social life.

New Hampshire...The White Mountains...Mount Washington....at the very top is tundra a small remnant of what was more extensive in the cold post glacial times and still harbors arctic species like this Lasioglossum boreale. At this point this is the only location that has had this species in New England.

Jumping Spider, Salticidae, Grabbed this one from a batch of National Park specimens of bees. Likely this came from Fossil Butte National Monument. Floated in hand sanitizer, this time Ben moved specimen so that most of the hairs stayed behind, also positioned specimen high in cuvette to get more of a black look

A series of shots of an unknown jumping spider from the Patuxent Bee Laboratory. Wish I knew more about spider id......

Yesterday I captured this smallish (10mm) jumping spider. Not being a spider person I have not idea which genus it even is. So any help there would be wonderful. The closeup was done with a 10x nikon microscope lens on a 200mm used pentax. Beltsville, Maryland.

Unknown Jumping Spider from Upper Marlboro, MD Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Photographer: Sam Droege, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200

A different July June Bug, Scarabaeid beetle, from my moth light, Upper Marlboro, MD

The Endangered Karner Blue, Lycaeides melissa samuelis

Dominican Republic. A lovely metallic green Lasioglossum in the Dialictus group

Dominican Republic. A lovely metallic green Lasioglossum in the Dialictus group

Its just endless, the number of species of bees at Fossil Butte National Monument and the number of Lasioglossums Sweat Bees in the world. This one is L. prasinogaster. Pretty much looks like all the rest...mostly a Rocky Mountains thing...but a few found in the Pacific Northwest.

Lamium purpureum, Beltsville, Maryland .... a tiny mint that up close demonstrates so many hidden facets of beauty