Images

Another small mint ...here we have Scutellaria elliptica. Look close. What is going on here? Why all this architecture? lips, hoods, long corollas...why purple with white patches and spots...could it have to do with bees? so many questions. Specimen and photograph by Helen Lowe Metzman.

Blue or Mad Dog Skullcap - A common little perennial native mint. For some reason it only puts out flowers on one side of the stem. Having skullcaps is a sign that you are doing things right. Collected by Helen Lowe Metzman in Howard County Maryland.

I THINK this is a sedge, but sadly I just grabbed it quickly while at Finzel Swamp (western Maryland) where it was blooming in clumps around the edge of the large pond located there. Any corrections to my Sedge ID would be very welcome

Seeds and various parts of Senna hebecarpa, American Senna. The details of plants blooms and other body parts have their own beauty. Pictures and specimens by Helen Lowe Metzman, Howard County, MD.

American Wild Senna. A lovely, and slightly exotic wildflower found in Maryland, Howard County by Helen Lowe Metzman. I don't often see bees on this plant and from the structure of the plant it would seem to be oriented to pollination by bumble bees.

Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park - Thanks to Chris Thompson for the determination!

Uknown Cuerna sharpshooter from Fossil Butte National Monument

Dominican Republic, Lisa Hopper, Sharpshooter, suspended in hand sanitizer within a quartz cuvette. had some problems exposing this picture due to the tremendous contrast between the bright white legs and the very dark wings next time maybe we will try using a different colored background

Ah, a tiny little iris. One of the Blue-eyed Grasses. These make wonderful little tiny garden potted plants by the way. Bees visit them regularly, though the plant is so small its role as bee food is probably overlooked more than not. Sisyrinchium angustifolium. Specimen and picture by Helen Lowe Metzman.

The tricky Small Hive Beetle. One of the banes of bee keepers, Aethina tumida. Small things, about the size of half an eraser head. These beetles smell like bees and even sometimes get fed by bees. As you will see in another post showing the larva, it is not the adults that are the problem to the bee keeper it is ....the bad habits of the babies.

Gall on Pin Oak, October, 2012, Prince George's County, Maryland

Possibly Merocoris distinctus...can any one confirm? Photographed by Dejen Mengis

Polistes dominulus from the Dominican Republic

Here we present a series of pictures of Polistes wasp nests with lavae, pupae, eggs, and interlopers.

Here we present a series of pictures of Polistes wasp nests with lavae, pupae, eggs, and interlopers.

Here we present a series of pictures of Polistes wasp nests with lavae, pupae, eggs, and interlopers.

10X shot of seed/flower head of Tufted Knotweed or Oriental Lady's Thumb, Polygonum cespitosum. Lovely form for this very weedy plant. Pulled from my backyard in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Beltsville, Maryland, damselfly nymph, unknown species, Floating in hand sanitizer

Blackberries...(Rubus species).

Sand Wasp, female, Sand Wasp from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Another shot of Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis by Helen Lowe Metzman in Howard County, Maryland. Note the lovely unfurling leaf.