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An uncommon specialist on Pontedaria (Pickerelweed) in this case trapped by Matt Greenstone at the US National Arboretum and a first record for the city.

Muscid fly of some sort, floating in Hand Sanitizer

Unknown species of fly, Fossil Butte National Monument, Wyoming, 2012

A Syrphid fly in the genus Microdon. A lovely bee mimic and one that I had not seen before. Critters in the Genus Microdon complete their larval life cycle inside ant nests.

A very small fly. You can tell how small it is as you can see the out of focus tip to the insect pin to the right of the head shot. Not sure what species, but the beauty of the wing and the white integument and contrasty hair and eyes were appealing.

Unknown species of fly found in Upper Marlboro, Maryland

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Experiment: Ah, what a difference fresh specimens make, having retained their color, and a tweak of the technique, this mosquito larvae expired within 15 minutes or so of its picture being taken.

Galearis spectabilis, the Showy Orchis. As wild orchids go in the East, this one is relatively common. I come across it the most in deciduous Appalachian Mountain woods, but I have seen it in plenty other places where the woods have not been turned under for crops in the past.

Galearis spectabilis, the Showy Orchis. As wild orchids go in the East, this one is relatively common. I come across it the most in deciduous Appalachian Mountain woods, but I have seen it in plenty other places where the woods have not been turned under for crops in the past.

More experiments with USGS minerals. This one is a shot of very tiny 1mm or so garnets crazy glued to an insect pin. Not bad for a first try, but clearly more cleaning is needed to really make these shine. 10x shot with microscope objective on camera.

Nectar dries quickly in the Atacama Desert of Chile, the driest desert in the world, and so many plants hide their nectar in deep nectaries. Bees visiting these flowers need long tongues and, in some instances, a very long head to reach the nectar.

Nectar dries quickly in the Atacama Desert of Chile, the driest desert in the world, and so many plants hide their nectar in deep nectaries. Bees visiting these flowers need long tongues and, in some instances, a very long head to reach the nectar.

Foot of Geothlypis trichas, Common Yellowthroat, Stuck the Thurgood Marshall Building, May of 2012 in Washington D.C. in migration

The Wild Geranium, Geranium maculatum, not your grandmother's house plant, but a wild, native relative. You can see its resemblance. A haunter of bottomlands and an important nectar and pollen source for bees in the spring....including a couple of specialists. Specimen and photograph by Helen Lowe Metzman.

Bees Trained to Collect Gold DustIn the Upper Congo past gold mining's legacy left a moonscape of large and small open pits. Some of these pits date to the turn of the previous century.

Charidotella sexpunctata - One of the many variations of this electric beetle, exquisite in its color, form, and blends of neon all free of charge from your friend: Nature.Upper Marlboro, MarylandCanon 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 .p

Found a Common Grackle lying on the ground yesterday and took it to photograph. While taking pictures of the lovely subtle sheened feathers on the back of the head, an ant must have walked through one of the shots and its ghostly imprint remained.