Images

Cuba, GTMO, Guantanamo Bay

Cerceris triangulata, GTMO, Cuba

Cerceris triangulata, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Redbud leaves, Cercis canadensis, fresh spring leaves at their births, at the end of the cycle, no leaf is untouched by another organisim, be it insect, arthropod, virus, fungus, or bacteria and eventually drops. A particularly lovely member of the pea family. Pictures and photos by Helen Lowe Metzman from Howard County, Maryland.

Ah....the redbud a lovely native leguminous north american small tree. Widely planted, awesome pollinator pollen and nectar food source...and...very interestingly, it has clear seed pods until mid summer which allows investigators to look at rates of pollination....could be used as a sentinel and a great citizen science project.

One of the Trichiotinus flower chafer beetles, collected on Vinton Furnace Experimental Station of the USFS, home to many uncommon native bees. Photographed by Brooke Alexander

Mystery Wasp....I think it is a Chalcid, but a couple of people have now suggested that is likely a Leucospis. This was from 2014 and was collected in Anne Arundel County and... I can't quite recall why we took this picture. Can someone id the wasp for us?Thanks Pilgrims. Picture taken by Wayne Boo.

Chamaesyce maculata, Spotted Spurge, August 2012, Beltsville, Maryland

The very small and skinny, beetle hole nesting, Chelostoma philadelphi. A specialist on Philadelphus (mock orange). This species is most commonly seen on the non native European Mock Orange that was widely planted in the olden days.

The very small and skinny, beetle hole nesting, Chelostoma philadelphi. A specialist on Philadelphus (mock orange). This species is most commonly seen on the non native European Mock Orange that was widely planted in the olden days.

Chelostoma philadelphi, Towson, Maryland, Baltimore County

A series of pictures of a male and female species that loves Bellflowers (Campanula). Meaning that the female of this species provisions its nest (note: males never help in all Hymenoptera) with the pollen of this plant.

A series of pictures of a male and female species that loves Bellflowers (Campanula). Meaning that the female of this species provisions its nest (note: males never help in all Hymenoptera) with the pollen of this plant.

Chiasmognathus c.f. gussakovskii, Cross Mandibled Bee, specimen collected by Wojciech Pulawksi in TajikistanVery small bees have very small nest parasites.

Chiasmognathus c.f. gussakovskii, Cross Mandibled Bee, specimen collected by Wojciech Pulawksi in TajikistanVery small bees have very small nest parasites.

A lovely beetle (buprestid?) from Chile outside of Santiago. Part of Laurence Packers expedition in which I served as sidekick bee catcher.

Chilimalopsis parvula - according to Laurence Packer (world's expert on the bees of Chile) this is a range extension of this species, mapped specimens seem to indicate that it mostly have been captured well to the north of Santiago and we spent all our time to the South on the expedition. Anders Croft took the pictures.

Manuelia postica - One of the common Chilean species of bees, this one was collected somewhere in southern Chile while on expedition last fall with Laurence Packer. Photograph taken by Anders Croft.

A lovely dark Centris with blue highlights and a cape of white. Eyes like coals. What is it thinking? Collected with Laurence Packer while we toured southern Chile and Patagonia sleeping by the side of the road, in the woods or in pastures. Did anyone care. No. Chile is cool. Photo by Kelly Graninger.

A lovely dark Centris with blue highlights and a cape of white. Eyes like coals. What is it thinking? Collected with Laurence Packer while we toured southern Chile and Patagonia sleeping by the side of the road, in the woods or in pastures. Did anyone care. No. Chile is cool. Photo by Kelly Graninger.

Pseudagapostemon citricornis - More Chilean bees from Laurence Packer's expedition to southern Chile. Photographs by Kelly Graninger.