Images

Dieunomia heteropoda, female, Anne Arundel County Maryland, The only known colony in the state

A very cool find. This is a lovely male Dieunomia nevadensis. It was found in Maryland at one of the Chaney Sand Mines. They kindly scraped a section of the site and sure enough it was colonized by all sorts of cool sand bees. No sand...no sand bees. That sort of thing. This one is particularly noteworth because the nearest record was from North Carolina.

Here is a 2 picture series of persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) flowers. Some trees are male (staminate) and some are female (pistilate). The easy to come by literature of the web searchers says they are pollinated by insects and the wind. I have never collected off them (too high up and am guessing not super attractive to bees).

Unknown species of Dasymutilla, Beltsville, Maryland 2012, July

Dasymutilla, Maryland, Beltsville, July 2012

Dasypoda plumipes, Hairy-footed Hairy-legged Bee, collected in the United Kingdom.The common name of this species is an accurate description of the bushy pollen carrying hind legs of the female (male bees do not transport pollen back to a nest).

Datura stramonium - Last year's pod of a Jimsonweed from the back edge of my property. Lovely mix of spines and the hardship and decline of a hard winter. Not a native species, but still lovely.

A series of 6 pictures of 3 species of very uncommon beetles that are new records for the region from George Washington Memorial Parkway unit of the National Park Service. Collected by Brent Steury.

A series of 6 pictures of 3 species of very uncommon beetles that are new records for the region from George Washington Memorial Parkway unit of the National Park Service. Collected by Brent Steury. Have to figure out what species this is Derodontus maculatus .

Small Fuzzy Diadaasia diminuta. This little fur ball, is a globe mallow specialist. I am too tired after trying to beat back invasives all day in the yard to say any more. A lovely day though all the bees finally are emerging, including my first queen bumbles. The little poofs are from Badlands National Park in South Dakota.

Ophiogomphus susbehcha, collected by Richard Orr along the Potomac River, super rare snaketail species

Ophiogomphus susbehcha, collected by Richard Orr along the Potomac River, super rare snaketail species

Isle Royale, Michigan

Isle Royale, Michigan

Isle Royale, Michigan

Isle Royale, Michigan

Calopteryx maculata, Ebony Jewelwing, Beltsville, Maryland Stream, Female June 2013

Calopteryx maculata, Ebony Jewelwing, Beltsville, Maryland Stream, Male June 2013

Calopteryx maculata, Ebony Jewelwing, Beltsville, Maryland Stream, Male June 2013

Echinocactus polycephalus - Cotton Top Cactus seed, Lovely surface sculpturing despite the cracks from being crushed in the mail. Seed supplied by Desert Botanical Garden.

A lovely stinkbug found in my house trying to pretend it was a Brown Marmorated Stinkbug, but instead it is a primarily southern species native to the region. Stinkbugs are so cool.