Images

Galleria mellonella - The waxworm. The rather muscular and chiseled form of an introduced pest of bees nests. In this case this bad boy was found in a bumble bee nest that was built in a chickadee nest that the bumble bee queen had kicked out of the nestbox in suburban Maryland. So it goes in nature. Picture by Wayne Boo. Waxworm wrangling by Desiree Narango.

Trifolium repens, White Clover head, Beltsville, Maryland lawn

Tiny feather from the head of a Whooping Crane. (Grus americana). Part of the captive flock at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.

Hylocichla mustelina, killed when striking the Hart Senate Building in Washington D.C., during migration, collected with permits by LightsOutDC

A tiny little bee species from Australia pinned with a tiny little pin called a minutum to a foam block...from the Packer Lab's collection.

Xanthorhiza simplicissima, Yellowroot. A long tradition in eastern North American of using this shrubby Ranunculus family plant for dyeing and medicine. Plant and specimen from Helen Lowe Metzman.

A couple more prickly ash photos taken by Helen Low Metzman.

A common Carpenter Bee in Kruger National Park where they hang out in blooming trees (particularly legumes) once the trees start blooming with the austral spring rains. Looks a bit like the road stripers got a hold of her. Xylcopa caffra. Identified by Jonathan Mawdsley. Photo by Kelly Graninger.

Another bee from Kruger National Park in South Africa. This is Xylocopa caffra...the male. Note how it is all yellow? Well the female is almost all black with some blocks of yellow on the abdomen. In a number of Carpenter bees on a number of continents this pattern repeats...while in other Carpenter bees the male and female are both dark.

Another bee from Kruger National Park in South Africa. This is Xylocopa caffra...the male. Note how it is all yellow? Well the female is almost all black with some blocks of yellow on the abdomen. In a number of Carpenter bees on a number of continents this pattern repeats...while in other Carpenter bees the male and female are both dark.

A lovely dark Xylocopa from Kyrgyzstan with shimmering dark iridescence of wing and abdomen. 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.

Of all the pictures I took up at Laurence's this is by far my favorite. I love the geometry, the complementary colors, the contrast between the texture of the abdomen and the texture of the wing, and just the lushness of the whole thing. Here we have a Xylocopa from Kyrgyzstan to thank.

A lovely dark Xylocopa from Kyrgyzstan with shimmering dark iridescence of wing and abdomen. 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.

Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Xylocopa cubaecola, female, on the base of Guantanamo Bay, GTMO, Cuba, endemic Cuban Carpenter Bee

Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Xylocopa inconstans, one of several species of Carpenter Bees that come from Kruger National Park. This white patch makes it relatively distinct. Part of expeditions led by Jonathan Mawdsley and James Harrison. Photo by Erick Hernandez.

A lovely yellow yellow yellow Carpenter Bee from India. The brown wings and yellow hairs show extremely good taste. From the Packer Lab 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 lovely yellow yellow yellow Carpenter Bee from India. The brown wings and yellow hairs show extremely good taste. From the Packer Lab 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.

Kruger National Park presents a native South African: Xylocopa lugubris. This carpenter bee was caught cruising around the park while along on Jonathan Mawdsley and James Harrison's expedition. Lots of fun avoiding poisonous snakes, lions, and leopards and other big things. Photo by Erick Hernandez.