Images

A specialist on early spring blooming brassicas. This one was collected just a few days ago along a very urbanized and disturbed section of Indian Creek in Beltsville, Maryland. Other than an overstory of trees all the herbaceous material growing seem to be invasive plants.

A couple of shots of Andrena asteris. Turns out the species is, indeed, an aster specialist. Not particularly common, unless you spend a lot of time looking at asters. If you spend a lot of time looking at willows then good luck finding this species Kiddo. Photo by Wayne Boo.

One of the relatively few fall Andrena species, this one from West Virginia. As the name implies, it is a lover of asters, and probably only uses Aster pollen to feed its young. Photograph by Brooke Alexander.

Another bee associated with deep sandy soils. This one also found in a study sand pit reclamation in Anne Arundel County in Maryland. Amazing to think that such metallic green bees are all around us having done their business for millions of years.

White Snakeroot, Ageratina altissima. Collected and Photographed by Helen Lowe Metzman.

Amblycorypha oblongifolia, Oblong-winged katydid, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, July 2012

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.

From Kruger National Park: Amegilla atrocincta. Amegillas come in a variety of sizes and shapes, but most are larger than honey bees. Most too are laddered with bold white stripes across the abdomen (A.

Monster cleptoparasite, this dramatic species is a nest parasite of bees in the genus Centris and is endemic to South America. Note the one shot of the lovely expanded tibial spurs. I do not know their function, but it may have to do with nest invasions, either digging or gripping the walls of the nest. Lovely metallic blue / purple colors.

Here is a series of male and female Anthidiellum ehrhorni. these are small, relatively cute in the scheme of things, bees that dwell in the drylands of Southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. They are fast flying and remind me of flying peas for some reason. Though I can't recall any peas that look like A. ehrhorni.

Collected in the deserts of Cochise County in Arizona as part of the famous Bee Course there by Tim McMahon, these speedy little bees are found throughout much of North America.

Collected in the deserts of Cochise County in Arizona as part of the famous Bee Course there by Tim McMahon, these speedy little bees are found throughout much of North America.

Collected in the deserts of Cochise County in Arizona as part of the famous Bee Course there by Tim McMahon, these speedy little bees are found throughout much of North America.

Collected in the deserts of Cochise County in Arizona as part of the famous Bee Course there by Tim McMahon, these speedy little bees are found throughout much of North America.

Anthidiellum - Latin dimunitive of the the larger, and more robust, genus Anthidium. This little bees often go unnoticed both because they are very small and because they are very fast...zipping from flower to flower seemingly without resting.

Anthidiellum - Latin dimunitive of the the larger, and more robust, genus Anthidium. This little bees often go unnoticed both because they are very small and because they are very fast...zipping from flower to flower seemingly without resting.

A lovely little southern pea loving bee. Its so nice to know that these little flying jewels are out there and not everything is a honey bee. Collected by Sabrie Breland in the southern pinelands of Georgia and photographed by Sara Guerrieri.

A lovely little southern pea loving bee. Its so nice to know that these little flying jewels are out there and not everything is a honey bee. Collected by Sabrie Breland in the southern pinelands of Georgia and photographed by Sara Guerrieri.

Anthidiellum notatum, male, Maryland, July 2012

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.

what is your thinking on willows? Like most people, maybe not much. They make great wicker baskets. They also tolerate some pretty extreme conditions along rivers, streams, tundra, that other trees can handle. In the East they are the largest plant being that has "specialist" bees.