Images

A very uncommon masked bee. This is Hylaeus sparsus, which is definitely identified by the spike-like angle on the front coxa (the closest joint to the body). Sadly you cannot see that feature in this picture. More of a spring species than many of the Hylaeus it occurs here and there and appears to be associated with wooded areas.

An underlooked bee, so to speak. Hylaeus sparsus, a small Hylaeus that comes with a nice spine where the leg attaches to the thorax...making ID easy ...if you look for that spine, otherwise it is another small Masked Bee. This one was collected by Jessica Rykken in Shenandoah National Park.

An underlooked bee, so to speak. Hylaeus sparsus, a small Hylaeus that comes with a nice spine where the leg attaches to the thorax...making ID easy ...if you look for that spine, otherwise it is another small Masked Bee. This one was collected by Jessica Rykken in Shenandoah National Park.

a lovely lady Hylaeus from Kenya, one of the specimens from the Packer lab that did not make it into the upcoming book. It was a very dirty specimen originally, lots of dust and pollen, thank goodness for photoshop. Also experimented with using the augmentation brush to pull light into dark spots, darken off excess eyeshine, and help with pin removal.

Adirondack Mountains...Hylaues verticalisa cold cold cold esker fen and this little masked bee. Photography by Sue Boo. 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.

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.

Lasioglossum brunneiventre. Small, long head, found in the Mojave National Preserve in studies of sandy areas in National Parks. Photographs by Brooke Alexander.

A bee with a fat leg, or at least a wide one. Which is the most distinguising feature of this bee that sadly looks like a whole bunch of other Lasioglossum species. The name? = ...Lasioglossum callidum. Photograph by Brooke Alexander.

The Channel Islands lie off the southern coast of California and contain quite a few endemic plants and animals. Here is a bee species that falls in that category and was collected as part of an effort to survey the climatically vulnerable National Parks. Photography by Ashleigh Jacobs.

Aptly named: Lasioglossum coeruleum. Most of the many confusing members of these small sweat bees glimmer discretely in metallic integument, but our friend here takes it up a notch to and Osmia level.

More L. coreiaceum pictures...these are from a specimen taken as part of global climate change study at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.Photograph by Brooke Alexander.

One of the large Lasioglossum sensu strictu...all black or dark with no metallic sheens. This one captured in my backyard on blooming leadplant.

Brianne Du Clos, collected this common Lasioglossum in Maine...probably in or near a blueberry field. Unlike most of our specimens you can see the pollen all over this specimen. Photograph by Dejen Mengis.

A very deserty looking bee from the deserts of Bryce Canyon National Park. Lovely patterns. 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.

Well, someone has to take pictures of all these small metallic Lasioglossums. This is L. flaveriae. A Deep South species. I associate it with southern, piney flatlands, but it is based on partial understandings. Bees are so tiny and we look under Mother Nature's hood in so few places.

One of the many tricky to identify Dialictus bee species, this from the lovely Cumberland Island National Seashore, Cumberland Island having many interesting species and worthy of much more exploration. Photo taken by Kamren Jefferson

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).

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. 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. 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.

Cape Cod National Seashore....Lasioglossum accuminatum, one of the large black Lasioglossum speciesCanon 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