Images

Medeola virginiana - Indian cucumber root. Yes, the root is edible and yummy. Specimen and photo by Helen Lowe Metzman. 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.

Indian Cucumber Root, Medeola virginiana. I have eaten its root ...and it does taste like cucumber....you need a lot of them though, tiny. Photo and specimen by Helen Lowe Metzman.

A sand loving, ground nesting Megachile from Gateway National Recreation Area on Sandy Hook in New Jersey. Photograph by Brooke Alexander.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, link to a .pdf of our set up is located in our profile

A sand loving, ground nesting Megachile from Gateway National Recreation Area on Sandy Hook in New Jersey. Photograph by Brooke Alexander.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, link to a .pdf of our set up is located in our profile

I recently spent some time at a family reunion in South Central Texas and, of course, brought my net. Here is Megachile albitarsis, a large ground nesting Meg with its lovely amber red eyes and orange pollen carrying hairs.

I recently spent some time at a family reunion in South Central Texas and, of course, brought my net. Here is Megachile albitarsis, a large ground nesting Meg with its lovely amber red eyes and orange pollen carrying hairs.

Now this is one handsome male. This is Megachile albitarsis, we took it long enough ago (am working through out backlog of things needing photoshopping) that I can't recall the circumstances. This large, not uncommon, southern bee has big hands. These are used to cover the female's eyes during mating. You can make up your own story as to why.

Carrying on from the recent posts of Lithurgus chrysurus, here is another European bee that specializes on Knapweed. This specimen from the West Coast, but it occurs throughout North America. Photo by Anders Croft. This bee was collected in the California Central Valley in Yolo County for research on small-scale restoration in agricultural areas.

Carrying on from the recent posts of Lithurgus chrysurus, here is another European bee that specializes on Knapweed. This specimen from the West Coast, but it occurs throughout North America. Photo by Anders Croft. This bee was collected in the California Central Valley in Yolo County for research on small-scale restoration in agricultural areas.

Megachile apicalis - Invasive species: Specialist on knapweeds: Not common unless you haunt industrial and other wastelands where it can be common. Always carry a net in these areas so that you clearly as seen as a harmless nature nut. Collected in Cumberland, Maryland. Picture by Heagan Ahmed and photoshopped by Elizabeth Garcia.

I like this particular view of the underside of this bee. The black hairs are characteristic of the species, but it is also an oddly appealing picture in its aspect and layout, at least to me.Megachile apicalis - Invasive species: Specialist on knapweeds: Not common unless you haunt industrial and other wastelands where it can be common.

A trinomial: Megachile brevis onobrychidis. Thus it is a declaired subspecies of M. brevis of which there have been several and at least one has turned into a species. Since the distribution of M.

A pair of head shots...including the rarely seen underside of a bee head. The species: Megachile campanulae. From: Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Status common and regular if you swing a net in the summer. Megachile always have lovely omatidia (those lovely hex things on the compound eyes).

A pair of head shots...including the rarely seen underside of a bee head. The species: Megachile campanulae. From: Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Status common and regular if you swing a net in the summer. Megachile always have lovely omatidia (those lovely hex things on the compound eyes).

From the Adirondacks of New York comes Megachile centuncularis. Sadly, it is an invasive species that can be quite common in northern cities across the U.S. as well as throughout the northern part of the globe. Maybe that is why it is so successful, it likes our holes.

Not originating from here. This is Megachile centuncularis, from studies by MaLisa Spring in Cleveland. Cleveland and other large cities house more than their share of non-native species largely or likely because of the presence of so many non-native weeds and garden introductions.

A Megachile from Morocco that is in the Chalicodoma subgenus, group, or sometimes full blown genus depending upon your taxonomic proclivities. Characteristically the females do not cut leaves to line the nests but use resin or mud and thus do not have the scissors-like cutting edges on their mandibles. This nicely arrayed species is from Iran.

Hawaii was colonized once by a single species of Masked Bee (Hylaeus), and evolved and split into dozens of species. Subsequent to Polynesian and European colonization a steady progression of non-native plants and bees have invaded.

Hawaii was colonized once by a single species of Masked Bee (Hylaeus), and evolved and split into dozens of species. Subsequent to Polynesian and European colonization a steady progression of non-native plants and bees have invaded.

Dominican Republic

Sara Prado found this Megachile concinna in agriculture fields in her Puerto Rico studies. Is it native to P.R.? Nope. It is a tramp species that shows up in different places from its homeland in the Mediteranean. Photo by Brooke Alexander.