Images

Perdita albihirta geraeae, female, Petrified Forest National Park

Perdita asteris, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

A small thin bee from Israel. This species is one of but 2 species in this rare genus. The other species occurs all the way down in Namibia. Another specimen from the Packer Lab.

Bones and eggs don't photograph well with our standard photography set up. The light is too uniform and omnidirectional. Specimens simply wash out and the lovely shapes are difficult to see or, at least, appreciated. Enter the snott. A snoot is just a cone set over a flash that makes the light uniderectionalish.

Ophiogomphus susbehcha, cast skin, collected by Richard Orr along the Potomac River

Another orchid bee in the genus Euglossa from Guyana. At present no species name, but perhaps some day I will have time to work with David Roubik on the many species we collected on a Smithsonian expedition into the interior jungles. This is a male, collected using some of the orchid floral scents to attract them that they use in courtship rituals.

How unusual. An Osmia with a red abdomen. Very rare. Also as a cool aside. This one also nests in snail shells. Collected by Jelle Devalez on the Aegean islands of Greece. Pictures taken by Maggie Yuan. Shopping by Elizabeth Garcia.

Osmia atriventris "“ A female captured in Washington County. This common spring species occurs throughout the East. Photographed by Brooke Alexander

Here is a series of male and female western glinting Osmia. There is a whole clade of Osmia that have thrust aside the drab dark colors of their Osmini kin for fresh look of maximum iridescence. That iridescence trends across greens and blues and purples with males often more on the green side.

Osmia conjuncta "“ A female captured in Carroll County, Maryland by Tim McMahon and photographed by Brooke Alexander.

Osmia conjuncta male shot of modifications to rear of abdomen. Photoshopping by the fabulous Ann Simpson!

Osmia georgica....Shimmering in blue, like most Osmia, small one was found in Maryland and photographed by Sue Boo

Osmia georgica....Note the expanded and swollen ends to the mandibles, while it is not quite clear what the purpose the serve it is likely to help carry leaf pulp to make dividers for the nest cells they create in the former tunnels of beetles. Found in Maryland and photographed by Sue Boo

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

20X Lens Tests. I am posting 3 pictures taken with a "new" 20X Mitutoyo Plan Apo Infinity Corrected Long WD Microscope Objective attached to an old 200mm Pentax lens. This allows me to start getting into some extreme stack territory. That said this lens new is over \$2000.00 U.S. However, I found a scratched one on Ebay for \$300.00.

A male alate or the winged reproductive form of the normally wingless ant group. The species is currently unknown, but we have it sent off to someone for identification.