Images

Mutillid Wasp, Male Velvet Ant, Prince George's County, Maryland

The eastern subspecies of the Yellow-rumped warbler, Setophaga coronata. This bird ran into a building at night while it was migrating and was picked up by the Lights out DC group.

Unknown moth collected July 24 2013 part of national moth week, with unknown "thing" growing out of or attached to its eye. I will have another picture of this species up tomorrow, but the thing attached to its eye is something I have never seen...any thoughts?

Ah, here is a good story, this is a shot of a female Nomada found at the museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard. I have visited their museum many times, but only this last time did I find a synoptic collection of bees from New England that was separate from the rest of their large, lovely, and old collection of bees.

OK, it took me a while to figure out what this is....any guesses?

Queen Anne County, Maryland, A lovely Tiphiid Wasp from Chino Farm

Neoclytus acuminatus - Red-headed Ash Borer, one of the many beautiful wood boring beetles in the Cerambycid group. Collected in Prince George's County, Maryland and photographed by Brooke Alexander.

Foreign Extremists: Yep, these species are attacking Purple Loosestrife left and right. Imported plant being attacked by imported beetles. This is either Neogalerucella calmariensis or N. pussila, it is not clear to me how to tell them apart, but I lean towards the former, if anyone cares.

St. Francis's Satyr (Neonympha mitchelli francisci). Only found in North Carolina and only found on Ft. Bragg. Feeds on grasses and sedges in wetlands along streams, most of those wetlands created by beaver and periodic fires from Base activities. These specimens came from captive reared populations that USFWS and others are attempting to slowly create.

St. Francis's Satyr (Neonympha mitchelli francisci). Only found in North Carolina and only found on Ft. Bragg. Feeds on grasses and sedges in wetlands along streams, most of those wetlands created by beaver and periodic fires from Base activities. These specimens came from captive reared populations that USFWS and others are attempting to slowly create.

Nomada fragariae - A rare cleptoparasite, almost certainly of Andrena...but which species. There are very few records of this species, and only in the last few years has the female been described. In most collections the Nomada sit at the end in a mosh pit waiting for someone to identify them...a tricky group.

Now here is a beauty. Nomada graenicheri, rare as all get out and its host is unknown (but could be one of the summer Andrena...). This one was collected in the mountains of Virginia by Megan Ayers as part of her team's efforts to survey the bees of that state. For some reason the facial shot presents notes of anime...at least to me. Photo by Erick Hernandez.

From Southern Minnesota comes a very rare parasitic bee called Nomada graenicheri collected by Scott Leddy in his study of Prairie remnants. Few records exist for this species and nothing is known about its host. This specimen was from some of the bluff prairies in the driftless region. Nice to see and a new state record too. Photography by Ashleigh Jacobs.

From Southern Minnesota comes a very rare parasitic bee called Nomada graenicheri collected by Scott Leddy in his study of Prairie remnants. Few records exist for this species and nothing is known about its host. This specimen was from some of the bluff prairies in the driftless region. Nice to see and a new state record too. Photography by Ashleigh Jacobs.

The lovely Nomada imbricata, a bee that looks like a wasp, which, it turns out are all bees really are anyway...modified wasps. In this case this bee has no need to look like a bee since it does not carry pollen nor build its own nest, instead it invades the nests of the large Andrenid bees and lays its eggs in their nest and Ms.

Dominican Republic

Intersex. Gynandromorph. Part Male: Park Female. Here is a lovely example. In this case the intersex section is restricted to the head. This is a Nomada of the pygmaea group. pygmaea group indicates that this is probably a group of species, but....I can't tell them apart. Long story.

Rare Parasitic Bee (Nomada obliterata). Some bees are just rare. Or, at least rarely found. This specimen here is the first known specimen from Washington D.C. where it was discovered at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, along the long neglected Anacostia River. Neglected but not absent of biodiversity. What is the "obliterata" part of its name about?

Rare Parasitic Bee (Nomada obliterata). Some bees are just rare. Or, at least rarely found. This specimen here is the first known specimen from Washington D.C. where it was discovered at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, along the long neglected Anacostia River. Neglected but not absent of biodiversity. What is the "obliterata" part of its name about?

Rare Parasitic Bee (Nomada obliterata). Some bees are just rare. Or, at least rarely found. This specimen here is the first known specimen from Washington D.C. where it was discovered at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, along the long neglected Anacostia River. Neglected but not absent of biodiversity. What is the "obliterata" part of its name about?

Nomada texana, male, face