Images

A twinkly white spring Andrena found on blooming wild plum in my front yard.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

A small male bee from my memory County Maryland with distinctive yellow markings to either side of its clypeus. 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.

A twinkly white spring Andrena found on blooming wild plum in my front yard.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

This tiny bee is a specialist on Willow Pollen, and was captured early this spring, unfortunately it is also completely coated in pollen and lint from the collecting process and did not go through our usual wash and blow dry procedure...thus the bad hair, but on the other hand it shows the characteristic light green tinge to the integument and generally captures the

Another of the large and sometimes confusing Melandrena species, collected by Nancy Adamson, Photograph by Colby Francoeur.Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200, link to a .pdf of our set up is located in our profile

Another of the large and sometimes confusing Melandrena species, collected by Nancy Adamson, Photograph by Colby Francoeur.Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200, link to a .pdf of our set up is located in our profile

Andrena pallidiscopa, female, Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Andrena perplexa - This is a male from Talbot County, Maryland, long thin mandibles, wide cheeks and a big for an Andrena. Common in woodland areas, like so many of the Andrena. 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.

Male Andrena bees can be difficult to identify. Particularly complicated and confusing are the subgenus Melandrena. Here is a member of that subgenus....A. pruni. However!

Echinacea. This medicinal plant is widely planted and tinkered with by gardeners and breeders. But, it really is a prairie species and when in its habitat, like the Badlands, big bees like to forage on it. Hey, look, here's one in this picture! Andrena helianthiformis. I suppose this means "looks like A. helianthus, but...is not" in Latin.

Echinacea. This medicinal plant is widely planted and tinkered with by gardeners and breeders. But, it really is a prairie species and when in its habitat, like the Badlands, big bees like to forage on it. Hey, look, here's one in this picture! Andrena helianthiformis. I suppose this means "looks like A. helianthus, but...is not" in Latin.

Another uncommon Andrena bee in the subgenus Trachandrena, this one seems to favor wooded areas. Formerly little known in the state, it is now recorded in 11 counties. Photography by Hannah Sutton.

Another uncommon Andrena bee in the subgenus Trachandrena, this one seems to favor wooded areas. Formerly little known in the state, it is now recorded in 11 counties. Photography by Hannah Sutton.

Photo by Brooke Alexander.

Andrena hippotes, female

Andrena hybrida: A small bee from the Grecian Isles, ...interesting in that unlike the hundreds of others of its Andrena kinfolk, rather than appearing all black has the size, shape, and coloration of a several species of cleptoparasitic bees who have red abdomens. Why is that?

Andrena ilicis. A bit of a mystery bee. It seems to be associated with Woodlands, but other than that I don't have much of a feel for the species. This one was collected in Somerset County Maryland.

Andrena illini, A rather large, spring bee, I associate this one with Woodlands and the edge of Woodlands, where found them feeding on blackberries in particular. This one was collected in Somerset County by Timothy McMahon. Photograph by Hannah Sutton.

Andrena Illini. Named after the University of Illinois football team by Wally LaBerge. While he was one of the great taxonomy experts that we recently lost. He was a specialist in Andrena and Melissodes and dabbled in several other genera of bees.

Unknown species of ant, Fossil Butte National Monument, Wyoming,

Bling Butterfly - Anteros fomosus - a.k.a.Black-bellied Anteros, or Formosus Jewelmark, collected in Peru. This is the underside and I show a variety of shots at different magnifications to highlight the lovely metalmarks some of the mirror-like scales create. Specimen from the Natural History Museum in Washington D.,C.