Images

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.

Fuzzy, round-headed, and big are a pretty good short cut to the ID of Diadasia bees. Westerners, they, in a very casual pocket prairie sort of way make East of the Mississippi River. The bulk of the population is in dry natural areas from the middle prairies to the West. Here is a common one from our work in the Badlands of South Dakota.

A common genus out West, this genus does not really make it to the wet and lush East. This specimen we collected in the Badlands of South Dakota in the park of the same name. Clair Mudd took the shot.

Small Fuzzy Diadaasia diminuta. This little fur ball, is a globe mallow specialist. I am too tired after trying to beat back invasives all day in the yard to say any more. A lovely day though all the bees finally are emerging, including my first queen bumbles. The little poofs are from Badlands National Park in South Dakota.

Oh look, here is the female Diadasia rinconis. We featured the relatively fuzzy male recently and you can see that the branched pollen collecting hairs on this specimen have a few stray cactus pollen balls stuck in there. Such lovely bees really. Collected by Don Harvey. Someone in the lab took the picture BUT FORGOT TO FILL OUT THE SPREADSHEET, for the shots.

Oh look, here is the female Diadasia rinconis. We featured the relatively fuzzy male recently and you can see that the branched pollen collecting hairs on this specimen have a few stray cactus pollen balls stuck in there. Such lovely bees really. Collected by Don Harvey. Someone in the lab took the picture BUT FORGOT TO FILL OUT THE SPREADSHEET, for the shots.

Oh look, here is the female Diadasia rinconis. We featured the relatively fuzzy male recently and you can see that the branched pollen collecting hairs on this specimen have a few stray cactus pollen balls stuck in there. Such lovely bees really. Collected by Don Harvey. Someone in the lab took the picture BUT FORGOT TO FILL OUT THE SPREADSHEET, for the shots.

Collected in Chile in Patagonia near Chile Chico,on an expedition with Laurence Packer. This is a Diadasia of some sort. Laurence, surely will figure out all the species names so we can update these pictures.

South Dakota, Badlands national Park

Isn't this a boss looking bee? This is Dianthidium singulare. One of the largest Dianthidiums around. Check out the winged plates near the collar of the bee and the shield like tegula that covers the front wing's insertion point into the body. Such a dramatic species.

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

South Dakota, Badlands national Park

Dieunomia heteropoda, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, from a nesting aggregation in a sand pit, the only one in the state I am aware of.

A very cool find. This is a lovely male Dieunomia nevadensis. It was found in Maryland at one of the Chaney Sand Mines. They kindly scraped a section of the site and sure enough it was colonized by all sorts of cool sand bees. No sand...no sand bees. That sort of thing. This one is particularly noteworthy because the nearest record was from North Carolina.

Wild Yam, Dioscorea villosa, one of the most architecturally balanced and pleasing vines that you can grow. But the tiny flowers and lack of color would seem to indicate that this might be a fly pollinated plant.

Wild Yam, Dioscorea villosa, one of the most architecturally balanced and pleasing vines that you can grow. But the tiny flowers and lack of color would seem to indicate that this might be a fly pollinated plant.

A large to huge, long-faced bee from Chile. The only member of its genus and strongly associated with the residual and now relictual beech forests of this country.

A large to huge, long-faced bee from Chile. The only member of its genus and strongly associated with the residual and now relictual beech forests of this country.

One of about 3 Monarda specialist in Eastern North America. This uncommon bee was collected in Wisconsin, likely by Denny Johnson and photographed by Amber Reese. A northern species and not one we have had any experience collecting or observing. That said, it could occur in Maryland if people spend more time collecting off of Bee Balm.

Rattlesnake Master. What a lovely name for Eryngium yuccifolium. Not so common in the wild,but people are planting it regularly now and it usually yields a lovely show of bees on the blooms. Photo and plant by Helen Lowe Metzman.