Images

Terrible specimen, but the only specimen on hand for Osmia subarctica. A male with distinctive upturned gonostyli on its genitalia....as we all kinow..!

Osmia trevoralis...more Osmia loveliness.... this time from Yellowstone National Park. 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.

Osmia bucephala female, Allegany County, Maryland, May, 2012

Osmia distincta, female, Maryland, May 2012, Allegany County

Aniseroot - Smells of licorice and a widely used medicinal and food plant. Osmorrhiza longistylis. Photo and specimen by Helen Lowe Metzman.

Another ancient specimens form the National Collection at the Smithsonian. This is Oxaea was collected in Rurrenabaque, Bolivia many years ago. Note the metallic bands on the abdomen and protruding face of this male. I hope to collect more of this group on an upcoming expedition to Chile.... Photograph by Samia Shell.

Perdita luteola, Arizona, Petrified Forest National Park

Perdita luteola, female

A tiny sand loving Perdita from Maryland

Perdita phymatae, Arizona, Petrified Forest National Park, Apache County

Petrified Forest National Monument, Arizona, Apache County

Petrified Forest National Monument, Arizona, Apache County

Gateway National Recreation Area, National Park Service

Small, small, and a lover of sand dunes. Restricted to Sand Dune and Deep Sand habitats and thus uncommonly found and often restricted to protected areas. This one from Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore. Of course you noticed that it had 13 antennal segments and extensive yellow on its face making it a male.

Perdita bishoppi, Florida, Fort Matanzas National Monument, male

Beautiful, but scary. This is the Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula). An impressive 2 inch exotic Fulgorid type thing from China and Southeast asia, it is a bark sucker and can do tremendous damage to smooth barked woody plants.

Beautiful, but scary. This is the Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula). An impressive 2 inch exotic Fulgorid type thing from China and Southeast asia, it is a bark sucker and can do tremendous damage to smooth barked woody plants.

This is a little tiny stalactite that grey in the Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. This is an experimental shot from some material given to me by the Geology Division at USGS. Right now just playing around with light set ups and photoshopping...comments welcome. Photograph by Brooke Alexender.

Nest parasite, yup, this is a bee, but one that invades the nests of leaf-cutting bees in the genus Megachile. This smart looking male was collected by bee girl Sabrie Breland in South Georgia near the Florida Border. Picture was taken by Brooke Alexander.

Nest parasite, yup, this is a bee, but one that invades the nests of leaf-cutting bees in the genus Megachile. This smart looking male was collected by bee girl Sabrie Breland in South Georgia near the Florida Border. Picture was taken by Brooke Alexander.

Not awesome pictures, but sometimes we need to take pictures of very rare specimens not because they are beautiful in aspect but because they are all we have. Stelis foederalis is a rare nest parasite of presumably Osmia species. These were found on Isle Royale wayyyyy up in Lake Superior closer to Canada than Michigan.