Images

Catterpillar of Endangered Karner Blue butterfly Lycaeides melissa samuelis, almost ready to pupate ...a.k.a. a fatty

Pupae of endangered Karner Blue Butterfly Lycaeides melissa samuelis

Birch Catkin Bug (Kleidocerys resedae) on a fish hook, Dorchester County, Maryland, lovely color and sculpturing patterns. Determination by Thijs de Graaf

Cuba, GTMO Guantanamo Bay Naval Base

From Organ Pipe National Monument comes the small and very common western Lasioglossum microlepoides. Just like the seemingly endless supply of these small Halictid bees, it is slightly metallic and and has a strongly bent basal vein. One could spent a couple lives just figuring out the different species. Photography by Brooke Alexander.

Lasioglossum nymphale, a bee of the coastal and interior sandhills of the Southeast

Virginia, Page County

A Lasioglossum with its weakened wing veins exhibiting a lovely hybrid cerulean, sky, molten blue with metallic notes offset with bright white hairs. From Redwoods National Park in California as part of a study of bees in vulnerable areas in Parks. Photograph by Brooke Alexander.

Sara Prado found this Megachile concinna in agriculture fields in her Puerto Rico studies. Is it native to P.R.? Nope. It is a tramp species that shows up in different places from its homeland in the Mediteranean. Photo by Brooke Alexander.

Here is a small leaf cutter from Puerto Rico. However, it is not native to P.R. but likely inadvertently introduced through its habit of nesting in holes in wood...which could be holes in pallets or packing crates. Found is scattered locations around North America and even in Hawaii.

A sweet little leaf cutter from Tucson Arizona, Megachile coquilletti is a hole nester and I imagine like its sister taxi in the East probably is happy to nest in people's yards and benefits from rich plantings of desert and dry country native plants. Collected by Tim McMahon and picturated by Elizabeth Garcia.

This is Megachile coquilletti, a small bee from Yolo County in California. "This bee was collected in the California Central Valley in Yolo County for research on small-scale restoration in agricultural areas. Claire Kremen's 10-year study of hedgerows shows the benefits of planting native shrubs and forbs in agricultural areas for native bees.

Megachile deceptrix, Female, face, Dominican Republic, March 2012

Megachile exilis - Megs are most famous for being leaf cutters, but some are not (leaf cutters that is). M.

Megachile exilis - Megs are most famous for being leaf cutters, but some are not (leaf cutters that is). M.

One of the resin collecting bees, they are in the leaf-cutting bee genus, but separate their walls with resin rather than leaves. They love it if you drill holes in your porch posts (personal observation). This Megachile exilis males has some expanded front leg segments that help in its id...how nice. Collected in Talbot County, Maryland.

Megachile farinosa: a rather rare species and with conspicuous red legs, a feature which is very uncommon in European Megachile. This species flies in high summer and the female gathers pollen only on the flowers of Vitex agnus-castus.Some alternative or past names for the species include Chalicodoma farinosa or Pseudomegachile farinosa.

Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200, link to a .pdf of our set up is located in our profile

Megachile inermis - A large female leaf cutter from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. So many species out there, it just goes on and on. Picture taken by Sierra Williams, photoshopping by Elizabeth Garcia.

A lover of yellow composites. Sunflowers and things that look like sunflowers. Megachile inimica is a big leaf cutter, quite hunky really, a bee's bee. This is a male and was collected at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland.

A lover of yellow composites. Sunflowers and things that look like sunflowers. Megachile inimica is a big leaf cutter, quite hunky really, a bee's bee. This is a male and was collected at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland.