Images

Lasioglossum pictum, female, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan

Lasioglossum microlepoides, female - March 2012, Hawaii; An alien species from North America, Newly detected in Hawaii

Female Northern Black Widow Spider, Beltsville, MD Prince George's County, Collected by Jessica Zelt

Bee Balm. Good for a spicy summer drink and hummingbird and bee forage the rest of the time. Specimen and photograph by Helen Lowe Metzman.

No king every arrayed so well as this Apple Bark Borer - Synanthedon pyri - One of the clearwings - Found today in Beltsville, MD, what we pass up in our little walks in the woods!

Eggs, Harlequin bug, Murgantia histrionica, a common pest of brassicas, these were raised by the Weber USDA lab at Beltsville, Maryland

Mushroom species, unknown, approximately 15 mm across the top on a rotting log,September 21, 2012, Beltsville, MD

Great Basin National Park. Still processing photos from our big survey of bees of U.S. parks. In this case, there was a lovely mutillid wasp, (velvet ant) in the sample. Oddly the female's hair color shifted between the shots....Not clear why.

Wicked Wasp Week. All week, All wasps. Witchy. Muttilids. Ah, here is one, such a group you would not want to meet if they were 10 feet tall. Check out the tarsal comb on this one from Great Basin National Park in Utah....perhaps used to pick the pieces of its victims out of its teeth.

Here is a short 3 picture series of 3 Mylabris blister beetles from Kruger National Park, where they are often found on tree flowers. I had the unfortunate experience of storing a bunch of these in my pocket while in the bush. Later that night my upper thigh was covered in large blisters. Be warned.

The eastern subspecies of the Yellow-rumped warbler, Setophaga coronata. This bird ran into a building at night while it was migrating and was picked up by the Lights out DC group.

Ah, here is a good story, this is a shot of a female Nomada found at the museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard. I have visited their museum many times, but only this last time did I find a synoptic collection of bees from New England that was separate from the rest of their large, lovely, and old collection of bees.

Ah, here is a good story, this is a shot of a female Nomada found at the museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard. I have visited their museum many times, but only this last time did I find a synoptic collection of bees from New England that was separate from the rest of their large, lovely, and old collection of bees.

Here we have the light colored form of Melecta albifrons, and because of that given the subspecies name albovaria. A very variable species found widespread throughout Europe and the Mediterranean, as its host is the very common species Anthophora plumipes. Collected on Grecian Isle Lesvos by Jelle Devalez as part of a study of the bees fauna of the region.

Here we have the light colored form of Melecta albifrons, and because of that given the subspecies name albovaria. A very variable species found widespread throughout Europe and the Mediterranean, as its host is the very common species Anthophora plumipes. Collected on Grecian Isle Lesvos by Jelle Devalez as part of a study of the bees fauna of the region.

Fossil Butte National Monument, WyomingNote that friends at National Wildlife Federation have dubbed this species the Billy Idol Bee. Since it has no common name I hear-by declare this species' common name to be the Billy Idol MelectaNote, however, that all the bees in the genus Melecta are nest parasites

Seems similar to M. bimaculata, this specimen from Key Biscayne National Park, does not conform to the description of South Florida specimens, which are given the subspecies name. M. b. nulla

Melissodes communis from Biscayne National Park at the tip of Florida. Perhaps the most common species of Melissodes in the deep south. Big and hits the yellow composites like most of the Melissodes. Fast flier. The group is known as summer long-horned bees. Picture by Brooke Alexander, shopping by Elizabeth Garcia.

Many Melissodes...and there are many look just about the same making them yet another difficult group to differentiate. Here is a common eastern one...a species that makes its way to the north of its near look alike. Picture taken by Ashleigh Jacobs, photshopping by Elizabeth Garcia.

Bryce Canyon Utah...not only has awesome geological formations, but also has awesome bees such as Melissodes conrfusa...in fact the dry west has many more species inhabiting it than the moist and lush landscapes of eastern North America. Picture by Sue Boo. Melissodes confusa captured as part of a large National Park service project.

A pollen specialist. This species gathers pollen from what appears to be entirely the wet meadow growing plant. ironweed. A lovely deep purple aster that when planted in meadows and gardens is almost immediately discovered by this bee even though the region surrounding seems devoid of ironweed.