Images

Dead Field Sparrow, Spizella pusilla, that sadly ran into the windows of a building in Washington D.C. while migrating.

A foot, a beautiful foot, a foot of a beautiful Field Sparrow, Spizella pusilla, that ran into the windows of a building in Washington D.C. while migrating.

Here is a Field Sparrow that lost its life running into a window at night in Washington D.C. during migration. This one picked up by the Lights out Washington group that counts birds that strike buildings at night in the relatively low buildings surrounding the Capitol and the Mall.

Experimental Shot: Daisy Fleabane dipped in Butterfly scales, close up it is wonderful to see all the sizes, shapes, and sheens, lots of hard geometry that makes me want to work more with scales.

I heart Pickerelweed would read the bumper sticker on this bee as the female pictured here would only feed her babies pollen collected from the interior of marshes with blooming Pickerelweed. This one was collected as part of a survey of Indian Head Naval Base just south of Washington D.C.

Older and no so great shots (technically speaking) of Florilegus condignus. You can see tons of butterfly scales on this specimen from who knows what species were caught with it at the same time. You will find that Florilegus only collects pollen from pickerelweed (Pontedaria).

An uncommon specialist on Pontedaria (Pickerelweed) in this case trapped by Matt Greenstone at the US National Arboretum and a first record for the city.

An uncommon specialist on Pontedaria (Pickerelweed) in this case trapped by Matt Greenstone at the US National Arboretum and a first record for the city.

Muscid fly of some sort, floating in Hand Sanitizer

A very small fly. You can tell how small it is as you can see the out of focus tip to the insect pin to the right of the head shot. Not sure what species, but the beauty of the wing and the white integument and contrasty hair and eyes were appealing.

Unknown species of fly found in Upper Marlboro, Maryland

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Experiment: Ah, what a difference fresh specimens make, having retained their color, and a tweak of the technique, this mosquito larvae expired within 15 minutes or so of its picture being taken.

Nectar dries quickly in the Atacama Desert of Chile, the driest desert in the world, and so many plants hide their nectar in deep nectaries. Bees visiting these flowers need long tongues and, in some instances, a very long head to reach the nectar.

Nectar dries quickly in the Atacama Desert of Chile, the driest desert in the world, and so many plants hide their nectar in deep nectaries. Bees visiting these flowers need long tongues and, in some instances, a very long head to reach the nectar.

The Wild Geranium, Geranium maculatum, not your grandmother's house plant, but a wild, native relative. You can see its resemblance. A haunter of bottomlands and an important nectar and pollen source for bees in the spring....including a couple of specialists. Specimen and photograph by Helen Lowe Metzman.

Pisaurina mira? Need confirmation please.Have another shot coming of the upper surface. Front legs removed to better expose the face

I feel like I should know what this beetle is...but I do not. It has a tortoise beetle feel. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Anne Arundel County, MD - Very Queen like from this underside shot. Identified as Gratiana pallidula, Eggplant Tortoise Beetle by Treegoat. Living specimens are a nice hospital green.

Goldenseal. Hydrastis canadensis. Another early spring bloomer. A long history as a native medicinal plant on the continent. Helen Low Metzman collected the specimen and took the picture.

The genus Hylaeus is referred to as the Masked Bee group. Most species have yellow vaguely mask-like yellow/white markings on their face. Not this one. It is distinctive in the absence of yellow. Looks like a wasp, does it not? This is because is carries its pollen and nectar loads internally and so the normal hairiness of most bees can be dispensed with.

The genus Hylaeus is referred to as the Masked Bee group. Most species have yellow vaguely mask-like yellow/white markings on their face. Not this one. It is distinctive in the absence of yellow. Looks like a wasp, does it not? This is because is carries its pollen and nectar loads internally and so the normal hairiness of most bees can be dispensed with.