Images

Undescribed Panurginus Species from Badlands National Park

A little flower fly from the Badlands of South Dakota, this one was part of a study led by Diane Larson looking at the web of pollinators on some of the rare plant communities found in the gumbo soils of Badlands National Park. An interesting species found in North America, Europe, and Africa.

This is the lovely female of the male previously illustrated. A nest parasite from the dry regions of Mexico and the Southwestern United States, this group infiltrates the communal nests of Exomalopsis to lay their eggs in the nest cells being built. Lovely combination of plush hair bands and shiny integument.

Here is one of the native azaleas...with the lovely name Pinxter (Rhododendron periclymenoides).

Rhynchomitra species, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, August 2012, Planthopper

Rhynchomitra species, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, August 2012, Planthopper

Great Smoky Mountains National ParkDoug Yanega has identified this as one of the wedge-shaped beetles in the Genus Ripiphorus. Several people have suggested that this be given the common name the Andy Rooney Beetle.

A Series: This is a set of slate gorgets and fragments there of. This fragment was found along the banks of the Patuxent River in Maryland but the slate is from Central Ohio. Other artifacts indicate that this site had been used for thousands of years as a ritual site by Adena culture Indians with numerous items brought in from Ohio (imagine that!).

An unknown species of Robber Fly from Charles County Maryland. Photo taken by Colby FrancoeurCanon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200

Found near the National Mall in Washington D.C. in mulch. Genus/ Species identification would be lovely.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,

Dead Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Archilochus colubris, after striking a building in the fall of 2012 in Washington D.C. Collected by Lights out DC

Sand Wasp, female, Sand Wasp...hunts flies for its nest. Bembix americana antilleana, female, Sand Wasp from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Wing detail of Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - Died in a collision with a building in Washington D.C. recovered by Lights out DC volunteer group.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

Sassafrass....the trees are dioecious ... males and females on separate trees. While they do have plenty of flowers they are rarely visited by bees. Perhaps it is more of fly pollination system. Specimens and pictures by Helen Lowe Metzman from Howard County, Maryland.

Sassafrass....the trees are dioecious ... males and females on separate trees. While they do have plenty of flowers they are rarely visited by bees. Perhaps it is more of fly pollination system. Specimens and pictures by Helen Lowe Metzman from Howard County, Maryland.

Pararhophites orobinus, Yellow Pollen Ball Bee, collected in Uzbekistan by Christophe Praz. This interesting little bee belongs to a genus of just three species from North Africa through Central Asia. They continue to confuse bee experts because of uncertainties about where they fit in the classificatory scheme. This is a work in progress.

Feeds Baby Oil. Yes, a subcult of the many bees of the world are those who, in addition to feeding their young pollen, feed them oil from plants that produce oil for that very purpose. Here is such a bee, a Paratetrapedia collected by Tim McMahon in Costa Rica. It has special hairs to transport the oil to the nest.

The Carpenter bee flower. This is one of the passion flowers, Passiflora incarnata, designed to be pollinated by Carpenter bees which fit right in and are daubed by pollen (note the stigmas are those large white things ABOVE the stamens). Since each vine is self incompatible they have to get it right. Flower and photograph by Helen Lowe Metzman.

Laura Russo collected these lovely squash bees (Peponapis pruinosa) near State College, Pennsylvania. Aptly named, this bee only feeds its young on the pollen of Cucurbita (pumpkins, squash, gourds and the like). This genus is native to the hemisphere....peaking in numbers in the Mexican highlands, but do not occur naturally in Pennsylvania (too cold).

Pompilid Spider Wasp, Central Highlands High Elevation Domincan RepublicPepsis ruficornis

Petrified Forest National Monument, AZ