Images

The bee genus Colletes...also known as Cellophane Bees because of their habitat of lining their cells with a plastic like substance...is full of relatively uncommon bees that specialist on a the pollen of a small number of plants or groups of plants. This may be the case with C. phaceliae given its name...but I am not clear.

Here are 4 views of Colletes phaceliae. Hannah Sutton took these using 4 different back grounds, just to play with something other than a Black background. With these more complicated backgrounds I have a harder time removing the pin in photoshop....perhaps people can give me some feedback on how to make that more seemless.

Here are 4 views of Colletes phaceliae. Hannah Sutton took these using 4 different back grounds, just to play with something other than a Black background. With these more complicated backgrounds I have a harder time removing the pin in photoshop....perhaps people can give me some feedback on how to make that more seemless.

The bee genus Colletes...also known as Cellophane Bees because of their habitat of lining their cells with a plastic like substance...is full of relatively uncommon bees that specialist on a the pollen of a small number of plants or groups of plants. This may be the case with C. phaceliae given its name...but I am not clear.

Collinsonia canadensis. Stoneroot / Richweed. Photo and specimen from Helen Lowe Metzman. 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.

Tiny tiny bee of the deserts. Conanthalictus conanthi....a specialist of plants in the waterleaf family. I don't know much about the group, but they are restricted to the deserts of the Southwest U.S. and northern Mexico. Note how low on the face the antennae are. Collected by Don Harvey or Tim McMahon on one of their treks to Cochise County, Arizona.

Conchylodes species (Thanks to Mike Burchett for the determination) with what is likely a crane fly orchid pollinia glued to its eye...see associated closeup for a more detailed look. Upper Marlboro, Maryland July 23 2013

Ah......Mistflower. Conoclinium coelestinum. So purple blue that it almost looks fake (to me) regularly occuring in our area and a lovely addition to those how need a little more purple in their gardens. Specimen and pictures by Helen Lowe Metzman.

Copper Oxide. An experimental shot from some material given to me by the Geology Division at USGS. Realizing that I need to wash these specimens before taking their pictures! Right now just playing around with light set ups and photoshopping...comments welcome. Photograph by Brooke Alexender.

Well, hmmm, this Coreabus beetle species form Kruger National Park in South Africa, looked better under the scope than when we photographed it. Still, its workable and our only shot. Nice hair pattern. A bup (Buprestid) that is dark and you can just barely make out its glintyness and surface sculpturing.

The dogwood of the people. Cornus florida. Planted widely. Formerly forming a subcanopy of white in the spring in much of the eastern forests. Then, the Dogwood Anthracnose comes and most of those interior woodland dogwood are now gone and dogwood is largely confined to edges of woodlands or plantings in the open. Specimen and photo by Helen Lowe Metzman.

The dogwood of the people. Cornus florida. Planted widely. Formerly forming a subcanopy of white in the spring in much of the eastern forests. Then, the Dogwood Anthracnose comes and most of those interior woodland dogwood are now gone and dogwood is largely confined to edges of woodlands or plantings in the open. Specimen and photo by Helen Lowe Metzman.

Ah, the dancing curves of Corydalis flavula. A small part of the glory of spring in the Mid-Atlantic states. Picture and specimen from Helen Lowe Metzman from Howard County, Maryland.

Ah, the dancing curves of Corydalis flavula. A small part of the glory of spring in the Mid-Atlantic states. Picture and specimen from Helen Lowe Metzman from Howard County, Maryland.

This is a shot of a Tortricid Moth from the Cosmorrhyncha genus ... the genitalia and perhaps the abdomen, though this is not absolutely clear to me. The slide was given to me by John W. Brown from the natural history Museum at the Smithsonian as an experiment to see if I could get a good shot of a slide mounted specimen.

April, Dorchester County, Maryland, likely off of willow, resting on fish hook tip. Joe Cavey supplied the determination

Appropriately coming from the latin noun for emerald, comes this large lovely from western Australia.

Unknown Cuerna species of Leafhopper from Fossil Butte National Monument, Wyoming

A native plant associated with dry rocky areas...usually intermixed with woodlands. As a mint it probably is a reasonable bee plant as an obscure, small plant it probably hasn't been looked at that much. Classic native mint used in all sorts of teas and infusions. Photo and specimen by Helen Low Metzman, Howard County, MD.

Unknown large weevil from Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic

Unknown large weevil from Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic