Images

Acer saccharinum, the winged Samara, how interesting the similarities between the wing or the samara and the wing of an insect. Collected from my yard in Upper Marlboro, Maryland from a tree that ultimately will fall on my house.

Found near the National Mall in Washington D.C. in mulch. Genus/ Species identification would be lovely.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,

Dead Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Archilochus colubris, after striking a building in the fall of 2012 in Washington D.C. Collected by Lights out DC

Sand Wasp, female, Sand Wasp...hunts flies for its nest. Bembix americana antilleana, female, Sand Wasp from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Wing detail of Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - Died in a collision with a building in Washington D.C. recovered by Lights out DC volunteer group.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

Sassafrass....the trees are dioecious ... males and females on separate trees. While they do have plenty of flowers they are rarely visited by bees. Perhaps it is more of fly pollination system. Specimens and pictures by Helen Lowe Metzman from Howard County, Maryland.

Sassafrass....the trees are dioecious ... males and females on separate trees. While they do have plenty of flowers they are rarely visited by bees. Perhaps it is more of fly pollination system. Specimens and pictures by Helen Lowe Metzman from Howard County, Maryland.

Piranga olivacea - Sadly this particular bird collided with a building in downtown Washington D.C. and the Lights Out DC / City Wildlife found it on an early spring morning. Here is a closeup of the coverts on the wing area. Photograph by Sue Boo.

Not awesome pictures, but sometimes we need to take pictures of very rare specimens not because they are beautiful in aspect but because they are all we have. Stelis foederalis is a rare nest parasite of presumably Osmia species. These were found on Isle Royale wayyyyy up in Lake Superior closer to Canada than Michigan.

Stelis labiata "“ A male of a very rare species found, in this case in the sandhills of North Carolina, collected by Heather Campbell Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200

Stelis lateralis - A nest parasite of Osmia...often seemingly associated with O. pumila. This one was found in the New York City area in Gateway National Recreation Area. Photographed by Kamren Jefferson and photo shopped by Elizabeth Garcia.

Stelis louisae, Prince George's county Maryland

Stelis louisae, Prince George's county Maryland

Some of the Stelis groups of bees are very colorful. This is true of S. louisae....a nest parasite of Megachile campanulae and clan. This male was collected on Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in the mostly marsh county of Dorchester. Photograph by Claire Mudd.

Three pictures of Stelis nasuta from the Grecian Islands, collected by Jelle Devalez who has the honor of studying and interpreting for us all the bee faunaof these islands. How nice for us all. The species lays its eggs in the nest of the Osmia species that we have illustrated previously. Just doing its job, nothing personal.

a new species record for Maryland collected by Richard Orr in the Catoctin Mountains. We will be looking into it over the next few weeks.

Woof. Not great pictures of a bit of beat up bee, but it is a rare bee and I think the only one I have ever gotten. In this case these came from Shelby Wilson who did surveys of bees on Isle Royale in Lake Superior. A very cool place. Very canadian in bee aspect.

Stelis subemarginata - An uncommon nest parasite of the genus Osmia. This one from Maine, where lots of Osmia hang out. Photo by Brooke Alexander.

Australia warning. This extremely fast flying sand nesting bee is only found in Australia, in fact, the genus is only found in Australia, and...the family Stenotritidae (27 species) is only found in Australia. The smallest of the 7 families of bees known to mankind. Collected by the peripatetic uber bee taxonomist Laurence Packer.

Experiment: This specimen has previously been photographed and uploaded to our account. The difference is that I have cleaned the specimen by rehydrating it overnight floating on foam in a tupper ware container of water and then vigorously washing it in hot soapy water by dunking the specimen on the pin into another plastic container and shaking.

Australia warning. This extremely fast flying sand nesting bee is only found in Australia, in fact, the genus is only found in Australia, and...the family Stenotritidae (27 species) is only found in Australia. The smallest of the 7 families of bees known to mankind. Collected by the peripatetic uber bee taxonomist Laurence Packer.