Images

A new Washington DC record, Triepeolus cressonii, captured in the Kenilworth aquatic Gardens along the Anacostia River. A very urban landscape, but one that still retains quite a bit of original nature thanks to the work of the National Park Service maintains the property as well as adjacent areas along this quiet backwater.

Red-eyed Bee. What a lovely palette this bee has of tomato saturated reds, on a shiny black integument with stripes of appressed off-white hairs. This bee was found when Mimi Jenkins and I went to my favorite sand pit to collect bees while our offices were shut down due to a security threat. Such a bonus.

Black-throated Blue Warbler, Setophaga caerulescens, killed striking a building in Washington D.C. in 2012 during migration. Retrieved by lightsoutdc group.

Acer saccharinumSeed headCanon 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

Acer saccharinum, the winged Samara, how interesting the similarities between the wing or the samara and the wing of an insect. Collected from my yard in Upper Marlboro, Maryland from a tree that ultimately will fall on my house.

sora, face, dc

Spodoptera eridania - Southern armyworm. A pest in southern parts of the U.S. mostly Florida. Defoliator of tomatoes and other crops. Not a candidate for the insect Miss Universe contest...or is is? I think close up there is a lot of beauty in this series of life history shots, but that is my personal opinion.

Spodoptera eridania - Southern armyworm. A pest in southern parts of the U.S. mostly Florida. Defoliator of tomatoes and other crops. Not a candidate for the insect Miss Universe contest...or is is? I think close up there is a lot of beauty in this series of life history shots, but that is my personal opinion.

Spodoptera eridania - Southern armyworm. A pest in southern parts of the U.S. mostly Florida. Defoliator of tomatoes and other crops. Not a candidate for the insect Miss Universe contest...or is is? I think close up there is a lot of beauty in this series of life history shots, but that is my personal opinion.

This is an odd Genus of bee from Kruger National Park where I traveled with Jonathan Mawdsley to South Africa to collect bees in the park. While a poor shot in terms of the antennae...if you look closely one of the antennae is broadened like the bowl of a spoon (thus the genus name Spatunomia) while the other is simply broken off.

Piranga olivacea - Sadly this particular bird collided with a building in downtown Washington D.C. and the Lights Out DC / City Wildlife found it on an early spring morning. Here is a closeup of the coverts on the wing area. Photograph by Sue Boo.

I THINK this is a sedge, but sadly I just grabbed it quickly while at Finzel Swamp (western Maryland) where it was blooming in clumps around the edge of the large pond located there. Any corrections to my Sedge ID would be very welcome

Ah, another different sedge from the swamp behind my house...close up of the flower head. Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Photograph by Brooke Alexander.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

The white-margined burrower bug. Scientifically we would call it Sehirus cinctus. Small, feeds on mints and nettles. Not picky, feeds on the weedy mints that inhabit our weedy lawns. Sticks around a bit and helps its babies out for a few days. Unusual for a bug. Picture by Greta Forbes. This specimen found at the lab at Patuxent.

Ovenbird foot, collected with permits by Lights Out DC group in spring or fall migration of 2012 after colliding with buildings at night in Washington D.C.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, collected by Stephanie Wilson at the Morris Arboretum

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, collected by Stephanie Wilson at the Morris Arboretum

A nest parasite of Melissodes, this is a relatively common species of an uncommon genus. Collected by Sabrie Breland in South Georgia in a lovely remnant of longleaf pine. Picture by Brooke Alexander.

Another nest parasite. Another Triepeolus. This time is is T. lunatus. A common species for a nest parasite in that it shows up regularly. The thought is that it is the nest parasite of Melissodes bimaculata which is perhaps the most abundant long-horned bee in the East, but probably is more generic in what Melissodes' nest it will invade.

Powerlines. Or more accurately transmission corridors. Now one of the few places that open country forb communities exist in many parts of the East. Often seen as a blight, they if not mown or sprayed to death, are places of refuge for many rare bees.

Great Brewster Island, Boston Harbor, Part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. This, is a nest parasite of bees in the genus Melissodes