Images

Wetland Bee. There are many bees in wetlands. Why? Because so many wetland plants have flowers that are designed to lure bees. Why, for example, are water lilies so large and colorful? So they look good in our pretend ponds? Nope. To attract bees out into the pond for a little pollination fun? Yup.

Cuba, GTMO, Guantanamo Bay

Lasioglossum oblongum. An interesting species that pops up here and there. One of the most interesting places for me has been to see it in large numbers along the edges of salt marshes on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where few other bees persist. Photograph by Brooke Alexander.

Virginia, Page County

Lasioglossum forbesii - A relatively uncommon sweat bee from near Front Royal, Virginia at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Of the many types of shiny little sweat bees, this is a large one, not that anyone would notice. Named after the Gotham of Gotham City this species occurs sparingly often in woodlands in the East

Captured as part of a Global Climate Change investigation in National Park Dune systems, yet another tricky Dialictus is photographed here. As the name suggests it is a lover of salt, in this case, salt marshes.. Photograph taken by Kamren Jefferson, bee captured in Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve

One of the most common and plain bees in the East. This is the very small Lasioglossum hitchensi. Its commoness did not prevent it from being undescribed scientifically. In only the last 10 years was it given a name by Jason Gibbs, who extracted it from many confusing and similar look alike species.

Male Lasioglossum can be tricky. Here is one of the dark ones from the highly bee productive Fossil Butte National Monument.

A pretty little Lasioglossum from the Dialictus group. This bee was collected in the San Juan Island national historic Park in Washington state. Photograph by Brooke Alexander. 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.

Lasioglossum vierecki, female

Female Northern Black Widow Spider, Beltsville, MD Prince George's County, Collected by Jessica Zelt

Leafhopper, Sharpshooter Collected in November 2012 Dominican Republic at high elevations in central highlands, photgraphed in hand sanitizer in a quartz cuvette. Yes, those are the real colors.

Leafhopper, Sharpshooter Collected in November 2012 Dominican Republic at high elevations in central highlands, photgraphed in hand sanitizer in a quartz cuvette. Yes, those are the real colors.

Leafhopper, Placed in handsanitizer in a cuvette, Beltsville, Maryland

The False Potato Beetle. Closely related to the Colorado Potato Beetle, but prefers other potato relatives such as Horsenettle. Proportions, colors, layout....exquisite. Collected by the fabulous potato beetle researcher Don Weber at the Beltsville Agriculture Research Center.

Leptochilus acolhuus, Key Biscayne National Park, Florida, Thanks to Matthias Buck for the determination.

A lovely and quirky looking Liphanthus from Southern Chile. Capture on expedition with Laurence Packer in 2017. Photograph by Anders Croft.

Joan Milam collected this particular Lasioglossum. Darn if it doesn't look like all the rest of them. Photography by Brooke Alexander. 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.

Check out the large ocelli on this bad boy. This is Lasioglossum texanum, a dusk loving bee that is out late when the Oenothera (evening primroses) bloom. This is a male, and was found in South Dakota in Badlands National Park.

Lasioglossum truncatum, Maryland