Images

Andrena virginiana, famale, Maryland, Garrett County, July 2012

This is picture 3 from a 12 picture invited series by Matt Buffington at the USDA Parastitic Hymentoptera group using specimens from the U.S. Natural History Museum Smithsonian. Matt uses a system very similar to ours to photograph and stack this super tiny wasp.As majestic as the Golden State itself,we present Andricus quercuscalifornicus.

Anisodactylus haplomus. The third and final new state beetle record from Cove Point, Calvert County Maryland. Another carabid beetle collected by Brent Steury. 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.

There is something about the oily iridescence of these spider wasps that I find particularly attractive, the light has to hit the wings just right, like in this picture, and the subtly brewed stained glass opalescence that come through are impossible to replicate Collected on the Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba, photographed by Aaman MengisCanon Mark II 5D, Zerene Sta

Collected on the Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba, photographed by AamanCanon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Photographer: Sam Droege, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200

Collected on the Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba, photographed by AamanCanon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Photographer: Sam Droege, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200

Here is a series of male and female Anthidiellum ehrhorni. these are small, relatively cute in the scheme of things, bees that dwell in the drylands of Southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. They are fast flying and remind me of flying peas for some reason. Though I can't recall any peas that look like A. ehrhorni.

Can't really get tired of Anthidiellums. Here is Anthidiellum notatum...it is found throughout the United States and leaks into both Canada and Mexico. As is often the case for something that occurs across an entire continent, there are color variants, differences in various dimensionalities of veins, pitting, legs, and other structures.

Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia, Dark Purple/Blue form of this species that often occurs in coastal and Deep South situations

This bee is in your garden! Have you seen it? Collected on the Tomatoes in Francisco Posada's in Laurel, Maryland

The smooth tones of an unexpected composite, Baccharis halimifolia. Photo taken by Helen Lowe Metzman in Howard County, Maryland. 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.

The smooth tones of an unexpected composite, Baccharis halimifolia. Photo taken by Helen Lowe Metzman in Howard County, Maryland. 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.

Persimmon Psyllid, Baeoalitriozus diospyri, collected on persimmon yesterday by Brad Seay in Davidsonville Maryland. Adult and eggs.

3X close-up of the homemade paper that made up the outside of a Bald-faced Hornet Nest here in Beltsville. I discovered the nest after getting stung when out trail running in the woods and went back to find that it was built on the ground in short vegetation. A few days later it was destroyed. Note the different colored fibers from different fiber sources.

This is the main orange butted Bumblebee of the East. Bombus ternarius. It can be very common in places like the Adirondacks where this one was collected, but occurs throughout a wide range of the Upper Midwest to New England and throughout southern Quebec and Ontario in our gardens and fields.

An uncommon species and one that had under gone some recent declines, Bombus terricola has seen increases recently in at least parts of its range.

Bombus vagans. One of a set of Bumble bee tricksters for those who have to identify them. Very similar to B. sandersoni, and B. perplexus. Each with enough variations in their abdominal plumage to sometimes cause some specimens to go unidentified. Here is a male,.... first 2 tergites with yellow remainder black.

There are about 50 species of bumble bees north of Mexico. Here is a common northern species that creeps down the mountains to the Appalachians. It also appears to be retracting its southern range edge...perhaps due to global warming or who knows? Still common in the north, but something to keep track of.

A series of pictures of a queen and a male of the northernish bumble bee Bombus vagans. Still a reasonable common component of northern Appalachian systems, its been retreating from its lower elevation and southern edges over the last century.

In the female, Bombus vandykei is almost all Black but here in the male it is almost all yellow. Why? Hard to say, but still a common species out West and that question is still available for study. This fellow is from Yosemite National park collected for a project done by Lauren Ponisio examining the effect of fire diversity on bees (Ponisio et al.

Bombus bifarius, female, Yellowstone National Park, NPS, Wyoming