Images

A nymph of a short-horned grasshopper, not sure what species. Another experiment with a 10X microscope lens. Specimen from my yard in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

I feel like I should know what this beetle is...but I do not. It has a tortoise beetle feel. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Anne Arundel County, MD, Identified as Gratiana pallidula, Eggplant Tortoise Beetle by Treegoat. Living specimens are a nice hospital green.

A couple more shots of the mysterious female masked bee Hylaeus sparsus. These collected by Jessica Rykken in Shenandoah National Park. Rarely collected by found across hundreds of miles of North America. Makes you wonder what we are missing, my guess is we are missing a lot because no body is actually looking.

a lovely lady Hylaeus from Kenya, one of the specimens from the Packer lab that did not make it into the upcoming book. It was a very dirty specimen originally, lots of dust and pollen, thank goodness for photoshop. Also experimented with using the augmentation brush to pull light into dark spots, darken off excess eyeshine, and help with pin removal.

One of the native species of Maui, here unusually found at lower elevations on the island during surveys last spring. Normally this group is restricted to upper elevations that retain at least a large component of the native flora.

One of the native species of Maui, here unusually found at lower elevations on the island during surveys last spring. Normally this group is restricted to upper elevations that retain at least a large component of the native flora.

Here is a series of 6 shots of Hylaeus verticalis, 3 male, 3 female. A northern and mountain bee throughout North America. One of a bunch of different Masked Bees that lurk around the continent. Photos by Sue Boo and Brooke Alexander.

Hylaeus volatilis - A native species of Hawaiian bee found at mid elevations on East Maui. This species is particularly interesting in that it is a nest parasite of other native Hylaeus species

Larimer County, Colorado, Rocky Mountain National Park

Unknown Hylaeus species from Hawaii, Oahu, March 2012. Almost certainly an introduced species. Female

Unknown Hylaeus species from Hawaii, Oahu, March 2012. Almost certainly an introduced species. Female

This large Hylaeus related wasp mimic is found in Australia and New Zealand. Thanks to Bernhard Jacobi for the determination. Another specimen from the vaults of the Packer Lab. 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.

This large Hylaeus related wasp mimic is found in Australia and New Zealand. Thanks to Bernhard Jacobi for the determination. Another specimen from the vaults of the Packer Lab. 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.

Small resin nest building bees. Most of the genus hails from South America with one species making it up into southern Mexico. Another from the Packer lab!

Always a bit floppy, this is St. Andrew's Cross a small bushy thing with long odd petals.....I will admit to knowing little about the plant. Pictures and plant collection by Helen Lowe Metzman.

You know, as a society, we have thought a great deal about plants, but mostly on the food and prettiness spectrums not so much on the ecological slider. So, here you have a Physalis seed husk, on the food end of the spectrum the genus gets about a 3.5 because tomatillos are in here, and a couple of other edibles, but its not one of the food powerhouses.

Gynandromorph, bilaterally half male/ half female, very rare, the left hand side of this he-she is male (13 antennal segments / lacking pollen carrying hairs on the legs) and the right it female with 12 antennal segments and pollen carrying scopa on the hind legs. The differences are most obvious on the face shot and the underside shot.

Habronattus coecatus (Thanks Ben Coulter for the determination) Jumping Spider, set in hand sanitizer after storage in alcohol and photographed through a cuvette

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Halictus ligatus. One of the crow bees of the North America. It occurs almost everywhere and remains common in urban and disturbed sites, where it is just fine with gathering pollen from alien weeds and flower beds.

Halictus ligatus. One of the crow bees of the North America. It occurs almost everywhere and remains common in urban and disturbed sites, where it is just fine with gathering pollen from alien weeds and flower beds.