Images

One of the most common bees in Eastern North America, particularly in urban and disturbed environments. They are attracted to piles of dirt or open scraped soils and appear to be a huge fan of clovers, plants that also favor lawns and open disturbed sites.

Now this is a rare bee, I have never seen or collected this species before seeing this lovely male in Kassie Urban-Mead's collection of bees from Connecticut, she collected it last year in a field on Verbena, there are only a scattering of records from NJ to Connecticut representing a disjunct population from the populations occurring in the western prairies, perhap

Calliopsis. Another of the many kinds of small bees that run the world. This is one was collected in Arizona by Tim McMahon or Don Harvey in fabulous Cochise County.

The face of insect form, layout, and ratios. Have to download and print to really see the details on this bad boy. Found near the Mall in downtown D.C.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,

Ah, the hidden beauty of flies. Have to download and print to really see the details on this bad boy. . Found near the Mall in downtown D.C.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

Ah, the hidden beauty of flies. Found near the Mall in downtown D.C.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,

A yellow faced Calliopsis trifasciata from southern Chile. Garnered on an expedition with Laurence Packer this past year.

A yellow faced Calliopsis trifasciata from southern Chile. Garnered on an expedition with Laurence Packer this past year.

A yellow faced Calliopsis trifasciata from southern Chile. Garnered on an expedition with Laurence Packer this past year.

Wayyyyyy up in the Andes spitting distance from Argentina, this wee Callonychium chilense was collected on an expedition with Laurence Packer to southern Chile. One of those one way dirt roads that hugs the mountains and gives one opportunity to fall into the valley in a truly spectacular way. Memorable.

Dominican Republic

Puerto Rico! What a snappy looking bee with its orange, yellow, and glinting blue patterns interspersed with the standard blacks and whites of most bees. How lovely to that this is a bee found in agricultural areas...a sort of Bumble Bee replacement in a land where Bumble Bees don't exist. Collected by Sara Prado in her investigations of agriculture and bees.

Centris...the tropical western hemisphere's answer to the Bumblebee. Bumblebees are absent from the Caribbean but bees of the genus Centris are of the same size and shape and fill the same floral niche muscling their way into large tropical flowers.

Centris fasciata, male, Cuba, GTMO

Centris haemorrhoidalis - The red-butted bee of Puerto Rico. Another lovely bee from the tropics, sort of a fancy bumble bee in a way. Collected by queen bee of Puerto Rico, Sara Prado. Pictures by Brooke Alexander.

Centris species are replacements for Bumble Bees in the American Tropics. This aptly named species is from Sara Prado's studies in Puerto Rico, where she studies the native pollinating bees of the island.

Bombus auricomus, A species regularly found in urban areas, but uncommon elsewhere, this one is from Baltimore along powerlines near the collectively owned Armistead Gardens

Bombus auricomus, A species regularly found in urban areas, but uncommon elsewhere, this one is from Baltimore along powerlines near the collectively owned Armistead Gardens

Bombus bifarius is one of the common species of western bumble bees, surprisingly, there are nearly 50 different species found north of Mexico and many are also tricky to identify and can only be accomplished under a microscope. So not like butterflies.

Another Chrysidid wasp (cuckoo wasp) from the Hart-Miller Dredge Spoil site in Baltimore Harbor, collected by Eugene Scarpulla, photographed by Brooke Alexander Identification by Lynn KimseyCanon 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 o

Chrysocolletes species, Wavy-haired Bee, specimen collected by Laurence in Australia Another genus of bees whose range is restricted to Australia; five species are known, but three of them are only known from male specimens, the females remain unknown.