Images

Andrena species, Black-tipped Andrena, specimen collected by Jason Gibbs in OmanEvolution has blessed the genus Andrena with over 1500 different species, making it the second richest of all bee genera (Hairy-tongue Bees, Lasioglossum, are first).

Andrena perplexa - This is a male from Talbot County, Maryland, long thin mandibles, wide cheeks and a big for an Andrena. Common in woodland areas, like so many of the Andrena. 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.

Photography Information: Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 200mm Pentax-m with Nikon 10X infinity microscope objective lens mounted on front , Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.6, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200.USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos

Photography Information: Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 200mm Pentax-m with Nikon 10X infinity microscope objective lens mounted on front , Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.6, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200.USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos

Photography Information: Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 200mm Pentax-m with Nikon 10X infinity microscope objective lens mounted on front , Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.6, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200.USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos

A little male mining bee about the size of a grain of rice. Andrena personata is something I associate with sparse fields, not so much lawns. My guess that the usual lawn weeds don't have the right mix of patriotically native flower species it is looking for. Kind of pixie like, is what I want to say.

Sexy Andrena. Yes, the normally black Andrena does have some sexy species. Here is one of my favorites. Andrena prunorum jacketed in amber with ribbing of white fur...or something like that. A common western species that leaked just enough out of the West to show up in Badlands National Park where we were studying the bee fauna of the Park.

Andrena robertsonii - A little bit tricky to identify, but a bee I associate with taller blooming things such as Blackberrries, shrub hollies, and sumacs. Sumacs are definitely an underrated bee plant.

This specimen was shot upside down and then inverted in photoshop to see what it would look like in terms of lighting. Its not bad, but I think I prefer the lighting coming more predominantly from above.

Connecticut, Tracy Zarillo collector

Andrena specularia - This is a prairie bee. I know that because it is from North Dakota and there are no records that I know of east of the Mississippi River. In fact, there are no legit records outside of North Dakota. Other than the mysterious Turtle Mountains, ND is all about prairie. I would like to propose that this become the state's bee.

Various Andrena, adding to the catalog....most with bad hair. Sigh.

One of quite a number of spring Andrena that occur throughout North America, this one is Andrena barbilabris. It collects pollen from quite a number of different plant groups, doesn't seem to have a specialty among them.

One of quite a number of spring Andrena that occur throughout North America, this one is Andrena barbilabris. It collects pollen from quite a number of different plant groups, doesn't seem to have a specialty among them.

Andrena barbilabris "“ A male captured in Howard County, Picture taken by Brooke Alexander

Andrena bisalicis, female, Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge, SC, Chesterfield County

Andrena braccata

From a study of woodland bees in the mid-Atlantic area comes this small, somewhat obscure, Andrena found in a woodland in Caroline County, Maryland. For some reason, a number of males in the genus Andrena have yellow on their faces, while the females do not.

As its name implies, Andrena caerulae, is a bee with a deep blue shimmer to its skin. Unlike the plain black models of most of the other 500+ species of Andrena this species stands out, making identification a bit easier.

Hardy County, West Virginia

More from Yosemite National Park. Hmmm, that color, so blue, reminds me of famously blue bees such as Ceratina and Osmia...but, in this case, we are looking at Andrena chapmanae...one of the rare Andrena that are a strong metallic blue. I have to say that the combination of this midnight blue and deeply dark brown is very attractive.