Images

Amegilla....one of a large group of large Old World bees that blend and fracture colors in wonderful ways. In this case this male Amegilla from Australia from the Laurence Packer Lab bee slots in a whole series of subtly iridescent green hairs amidst a mix of white and black, quite nice and surely a useful design for a rug or tapestry of some sort.

Amegilla....one of a large group of large Old World bees that blend and fracture colors in wonderful ways. In this case this male Amegilla from Australia from the Laurence Packer Lab bee slots in a whole series of subtly iridescent green hairs amidst a mix of white and black, quite nice and surely a useful design for a rug or tapestry of some sort.

Tongue of the Amegilla. You can see the longgggg tongue with its brushed tip designed to lap nectar and the odd bits of pollen. You can also see the sheathes and the palps the fold out from under the head to create a tube for sucking up nectar when plentiful. From India = An unknown species of Amegila collected by Suzanne Batra.

False Indigo Plant. My impression is that this plant has moved only recently into a very common status withing the Chesapeake Bay area, now found commonly along water edges of the upper Bay and fresh and brackish rivers. Seems to be good for species in Megachilidae.

Probably a specialist on bindweed pollen, this group of bees runs from the Southwestern states down into southern South America. Note the expanded femurs of this male, interesting to speculate as to why. From the Packer Lab.

Tim McMahon hunted down this Ancyloscelis in Costa Rica. The long tongue on this relatively small bee is a thing. This group as a whole has an affinity for flowers with long carollas. In particular, the love morning glories. Which is interesting, because you don't really see morning glories in the seed mix for pollinator plots.

Andrena wellesleyana is one of the many Andrena species. It is also one of a number of species where the males have extensive yellow on their faces while the females are completely black. I the bulk of species both males and females have black faces.

Andrena wellesleyana is one of the many Andrena species. It is also one of a number of species where the males have extensive yellow on their faces while the females are completely black. I the bulk of species both males and females have black faces.

Andrena aliciae, female

Andrena aliciae, female

Maine, Collected by Sara Bushman

Here is the male of the recently posted female Andrena arabis. The male illustrates what happens periodically with some of the males of this largely brown, dark group of mining bees which is that a few of them have a yellow, or in this case and off-white, clypeus. Surely this must be some sort of sexual signal as the females almost never have these markings.

Here is the male of the recently posted female Andrena arabis. The male illustrates what happens periodically with some of the males of this largely brown, dark group of mining bees which is that a few of them have a yellow, or in this case and off-white, clypeus. Surely this must be some sort of sexual signal as the females almost never have these markings.

Number 2 in our new series on bee ID....Agapostemon Males

Unknown Beetle. Found on Andelot Farms in Kent County. I am not sure what genus this is. Seems like Acmaeodera, but it doesn't match and of the region's species I know. Captured in June. Photographed by Brooke Alexander.

Andrena miserabilis, showing sharp pronotal corners

Sample of Dead Birds that struck buildings in Washington D.C. during the Fall and Spring of 2012 in a short stretch of streets from Union Station to the Convention Center, photo stitched together from 18 separate hi res shots.

Catching up, again, with our backlog of pictures. Here is one of the most common Andrena species in the mid-Atlantic. Andrena cressonii. Photographed by Dejen Mengis.

The very common Two-striped Planthopper, Notice the veining in the wing that mimics the veins of a very tiny leaf.

Bee tool, from a monster cleptoparasite, endemic to South America. Note the lovely expanded tibial spurs. I do not know their function, but it may have to do with nest invasions of Centris, either digging or gripping the walls of the nest. Lovely metallic blue / purple colors. From the Packer Lab.

The red maple, Acer rubrum, often one of the most dominant trees in deciduous woods in the East. It blooms very early in the spring and provides pollen and nectar to the set of bees, and flower flies, that come out early.