Images

For whatever reason we haven't taken any very good pictures of this here bee, Colletes thoracicus. This species is one of two that form huge aggregations in loose or sandy soils in the Eastern U.S. Very cool and for some reason lacking any Bee Nest Parasites (Epeolus) that haunt other Colletes.

Christmas lights jumping spider from the Dominican Republic, species unknown, but surprisingly marked with fluorescent scales

Tenebrionidae, found at night chewing on a small patch of shelf fungi on a stump in Upper Marlboro, Maryland

Another unknown Chrysops species from Maryland, see assocaited back shot for possible id, collected from the resulting cloud of flies after a run through Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Maryland

A bit of the green seed head of one of my favorite grasses, I leave patches of this plant when I mow the "lawn." Presumably this is Dichanthelium clandestinum (formerly Panicum clandestinum), but am not sure if there are look alikes in my area.Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler,

Back to the Badlands of South Dakota. Here we get Diadasia....something that only shows up once you hit some of the isolated prairies in the MidWest until when you got to much of the West...they are everywhere. A common species, this one was found in a number of locations in the Badlands.

Fuzzy, round-headed, and big are a pretty good short cut to the ID of Diadasia bees. Westerners, they, in a very casual pocket prairie sort of way make East of the Mississippi River. The bulk of the population is in dry natural areas from the middle prairies to the West. Here is a common one from our work in the Badlands of South Dakota.

I think many people think of cacti as icons, something made for us to look at, but since we rarely use cacti for anything and because their fleshy shapes and lifestyles are so different we think of them more as lampposts than integrated into our landscapes as much as the grasses, forbs, and trees. But without cacti entire worlds would disappear.

Rarity here. This is species was described in the 1950s, named after the town it was collected near and only a handful of specimens have ever been collected that I am aware of. In fact it is so rare that it was on our list of "missing" species, published in 2011.

Note the short split tongue, characteristic of Colletes. Badlands National Park

Colletes nudus, male, Florida Duval County 2007

Colletes thysanellae, female

Male Colletes brimleyi

South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina

This is the male of a species that parasitizes Megachile (leaf cutter nests) by laying their eggs in the nest of the host, after which the young Coelioxys sodalis emerges and kills the host larvae and consumes the pollen and nectar of the host's young. About 20% of all bees work on this model.

Coelioxys vigilans, Female, Dominican Republic, Hispaniola, Nest parasites of Megachile nests

Carphophis amoenus amoenus - sadly one that I chopped up when digging my garden today...but at least I was able to take a picture. 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.

White Oak, Insect damage, August 2012, Beltsville, Maryland

White Oak, Insect damage, August 2012, Beltsville, Maryland