Images

Unknown Megachile species from the Dominican Republic

Found in Urban Baltimore, Armistead Gardens

Maryland

An all African. This small species was captured in South Africa by Laurence Packer's lab. Often this species has multiple males and females using the same nest, though apparently not dividing up the labor, but simply finding some advantage of living together rather than nesting in the ground separately.

Hey now here is a common bee from Kruger National Park, Meliturgula scriptifrons. A smallish brown bee that are commonly caught in bowl traps. Part of the small number of genera in Andrenidae. Photo by Kelly Graninger.

Swamp sparrow, Washington D.C., Fall or spring 2012, died striking building downtown, collected by lightsoutdc with permits

Here we have the nest parasite of one of Puerto Rico's Centris bees. Its lays its eggs in the nests of the host, kills the hosts egg or young and eats the stores. Taxonomically its not clear what this species is but it appears to be close to (aff. = affiliated with) M. rufipes. Perhaps you, dear reader, will figure that out.

The foot of the American Mink: Neovison vison. A lovely male freshly killed where a stream crosses the road in the progenitor of all suburbs: Bowie, Maryland. All sorts of things exist in these seeming wastelands.

This is a 10X detail of the wing of Mirina fenzeli, and odd moth from China. It is a plainish white moth but has a super dark spot (one edge is illustrated here) which sucks in almost all light (and therefore is hard to photograph) the scales are up right rather than flattened and the surround white scales are very dissected and spikey...cool.

From Acadia National Park, comes a nest parasites of Megachilidae. Picture taken by Haegan Ahmed and Photoshop by Dejen Mengis. Photography Information: Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200.

Bee Balm. Good for a spicy summer drink and hummingbird and bee forage the rest of the time. Specimen and photograph by Helen Lowe Metzman.

Dominican Republic

Megachile farinosa: a rather rare species and with conspicuous red legs, a feature which is very uncommon in European Megachile. This species flies in high summer and the female gathers pollen only on the flowers of Vitex agnus-castus.Some alternative or past names for the species include Chalicodoma farinosa or Pseudomegachile farinosa.

From surveys of the urban and disturbed lower slopes of Maui comes a specimen of M. fullawayi, found on some of the other islands it is not surprising that this species would be found here to.

A lovely leaf-cutting bee from Prince George's County, Maryland. Photograph by Colby Francoeur, Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200, link to a .pdf of our set up is located in our profile

This specimen came from Patuxent Wildlife Research Center where both M. gemula and M. mucida co-occur. A dark leaf cutter. Photography by Colby Francoeur.Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200, link to a .pdf of our set up is located in our profile

A lovely leaf-cutting bee from Prince George's County, Maryland. Photograph by Colby Francoeur, Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200, link to a .pdf of our set up is located in our profile

Megachile inermis - A large female leaf cutter from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. So many species out there, it just goes on and on. Picture taken by Sierra Williams, photoshopping by Elizabeth Garcia.

The all black Leaf-Cutter, Megachile xylocopoides, this one found in Florida. The species is found in the East and seems to be gradually invading its way to the North...Picture by Amber Reese and photoshopping by Dejen Mengis.

The all black Leaf-Cutter, Megachile xylocopoides, this one found in Florida. The species is found in the East and seems to be gradually invading its way to the North...Picture by Amber Reese and photoshopping by Dejen Mengis.

Probably Megachile pugnata, found on the desert experiment range in Utah.