Images

Euglossa....the orchid bees, swanky glintlings of the New World tropical forests. The males gather fragrances produced by orchids who are then pollinated by the infatuations of these males.

Another widespread mason bee from the West...this one was found in Yellowstone National Park as part of a study of alpine bee populations there. Osmia albolateralis is its name...sadly, like most bees it lacks a common name. Photographed by Elizabeth Garcia.

A Series: This is a set of slate gorgets and fragments there of. This fragment was found along the banks of the Patuxent River in Maryland but the slate is from Central Ohio. Other artifacts indicate that this site had been used for thousands of years as a ritual site by Adena culture Indians with numerous items brought in from Ohio (imagine that!).

A Series: This is a set of slate gorgets and fragments there of. This fragment was found along the banks of the Patuxent River in Maryland but the slate is from Central Ohio. Other artifacts indicate that this site had been used for thousands of years as a ritual site by Adena culture Indians with numerous items brought in from Ohio (imagine that!).

A Series: This is a set of slate gorgets and fragments there of. This fragment was found along the banks of the Patuxent River in Maryland but the slate is from Central Ohio. Other artifacts indicate that this site had been used for thousands of years as a ritual site by Adena culture Indians with numerous items brought in from Ohio (imagine that!).

A small very black bee with an extremely wide head.Note the lobe projecting from the "cheek" back towards the thorax. This is one member of a fairly large genus of bees that are restricted to tropical South America south. From...the Packer Lab.

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

Ruby crystals in a rock. Experimental shot from some material given to me by the Geology Division at USGS. Right now just playing around with light set ups and photoshopping...comments welcome. Photograph by Brooke Alexender.

Back to the great Chilean expedition of 2017. Here is Ruizanthedella mutabilis, which, if I recall correctly, is something of a dirtball species, one that was found regularly and elicited no excitement from Laurence Packer, expedition chief. Halictids are like that.

Elderberry...Sambucus nigra in this case....Always listed as a good bee plant, but despite all the bloom I have never been that impressed by the bee coming and going on this plant. But they do bloom over a more extended period than some more bee centric berry bushes. Pictures and plants by Helen Lowe Metzman.

Elderberry...Sambucus nigra in this case....Always listed as a good bee plant, but despite all the bloom I have never been that impressed by the bee coming and going on this plant. But they do bloom over a more extended period than some more bee centric berry bushes. Pictures and plants by Helen Lowe Metzman.

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Unknown Scale insect on Amaryllis in my laboratory in Beltsville Maryland

Eucanthus lazarus, Scarab beetle, Chino Farm, Queen Anne County, Maryland, Collector Dan Small - Determination kindly provided by Frank Guarnieri

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. Despite the obvious damage, it is still a wonderful looking bird. Photograph by Sue Boo.

This ubiquitous North American species can be found gathering mud for its nest almost anywhere. I have collected it in urban areas to remote villages in the center of Guyana. This specimen is from Key Biscayne National Park in Florida and was arrayed without a pin by Brooke in our lab and then photgraphed on a piece of glass by Ben

A wasp species. Note the lovely folds and ridges in the wing, a feature of the wasp family Scoliidae.

Scoliid Wasp, Hawaii

The Striped Bark Scorpion. A lovely specimen found on the floor of FT Eyre in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. It is always good to have friends who send you such lovely presents in the mail. This is the only scorpion in the state and over the next few days I will post more shots of this baby. Check out the hypodermic at the end of the sting.

Another small mint ...here we have Scutellaria elliptica. Look close. What is going on here? Why all this architecture? lips, hoods, long corollas...why purple with white patches and spots...could it have to do with bees? so many questions. Specimen and photograph by Helen Lowe Metzman.

I THINK this is a sedge, but sadly I just grabbed it quickly while at Finzel Swamp (western Maryland) where it was blooming in clumps around the edge of the large pond located there. Any corrections to my Sedge ID would be very welcome