Images

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A bee that has not been seen in Maryland for over 100 years. Protandrena abdominalis. And...still has not been seen in Maryland for 100 years. This specimen actually came from Texas where I was visiting my kin (but not so secretly also collecting bees).

This little red bee was collected on spotted beebalm. It seems to be the only species of plant, with the possibility of some close relatives being involved, that this bee finds worthy of collecting pollen from. If you Google images of spotted beebalm you'll see that it is quite the complicated and rather ornate flowering plant.

Arizona poppy pollen on Protoxaea gloriosa. Yep, the fluorescent orange Kallstroemia grandiflora, has fluorescent orange pollen and this bee loves it and becomes also fluorescent orange.

A populous genus with many South American species, check out the ultra wide head of this male from Argentina. From the Packer Lab collection.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

An Osmia...one of the group of western species that are bright shiny green instead of the more common dark metallic blue. This one was found in a bee garden in San Francisco under study by Jaime Pawelek. Am pinging Jaime to see if she knows what species this could be.

Terrible specimen, but the only specimen on hand for Osmia subarctica. A male with distinctive upturned gonostyli on its genitalia....as we all kinow..!

Osmia trevoralis...more Osmia loveliness.... this time from Yellowstone National Park. 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.

Osmia bucephala female, Allegany County, Maryland, May, 2012

Osmia distincta, female, Maryland, May 2012, Allegany County

Aniseroot - Smells of licorice and a widely used medicinal and food plant. Osmorrhiza longistylis. Photo and specimen by Helen Lowe Metzman.

Another ancient specimens form the National Collection at the Smithsonian. This is Oxaea was collected in Rurrenabaque, Bolivia many years ago. Note the metallic bands on the abdomen and protruding face of this male. I hope to collect more of this group on an upcoming expedition to Chile.... Photograph by Samia Shell.

Perdita luteola, Arizona, Petrified Forest National Park

Perdita luteola, female

A tiny sand loving Perdita from Maryland

Perdita phymatae, Arizona, Petrified Forest National Park, Apache County

Petrified Forest National Monument, Arizona, Apache County

Petrified Forest National Monument, Arizona, Apache County

Gateway National Recreation Area, National Park Service

Small, small, and a lover of sand dunes. Restricted to Sand Dune and Deep Sand habitats and thus uncommonly found and often restricted to protected areas. This one from Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore. Of course you noticed that it had 13 antennal segments and extensive yellow on its face making it a male.