Images

Golden-backed Snipe Fly, Collected by Francisco Posada, Laurel, Maryland

Roooooarrrrrr!, Danger, creature from the black lagoon. Or...not. Here we have a close up look at the many interesting features that are left behind when a cicada emerges. This one was in my backyard and left his/her full body suit behind on the shed.

Tiger Beetle, Collected in a Sand Pit in Anne Arundel County, Maryland Detemination by Lepphotos as: eastern race of the Oblique-lined Tiger Beetle -- Cicindela tranquebarica tranquebarica

New Maryland state record. Common Clay Bank Tiger beetle (Cicindella limbalis), or, in this case, the Uncommon Clay Bank Tiger beetle. The specimen and 2 others were found while we were hunting these (with permission) in the yet unopened Wills Mountain State Park in Western Maryland.

Water Hemlock. Cicuta maculata. Super poisonous, but good for bees. Photo and specimen 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.

What a beautiful name, ... an overlooked plant of woodlands, now I am wondering what its pollinators might be...when does it bloom, seems like maybe middle of summer when most of the bees are absent. Specimen and picture by Helen Lowe Metzman.

A series of shots of Citrus Psyllid adults (including a recently emerged white adult) , and larvae of Diaphorina citri which is the transporting agent of citrus greening disease now devastating Florida's orange groves. Pictures taken at Level 3 level quarantine at USDA's Lab at Ft. Detrick, Maryland. Thanks to Tina Paul for fascilitating all of this.

Cerceris triangulata

Cerceris triangulata, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

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.

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.

A nice fluffy male Centris attripes from Central Texas collected during a family reunion. Centris are large bumble bee sized bees and as you move into desert and tropical area in the Americas the number of bumble bees decline and the number of often oil using Centris species and the equally large Carpenter bees increase.

White turtlehead. Chelone glabra. A good bumble bee plant and host for the Maryland State Butterfly, the Baltimore Checkerspot. Photo and specimen by Helen Lowe Metzman. Howard County, Maryland.

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.

Am playing around with a 10X rig at home right now and aiming at some common species. Here is a seed pod of lamb's quarters. The round objects may or may not be what they call glandular hairs. This is unclear to me.

A series of shots of Citrus Psyllid adults (including a recently emerged white adult) , and larvae of Diaphorina citri which is the transporting agent of citrus greening disease now devastating Florida's orange groves. Pictures taken at Level 3 level quarantine at USDA's Lab at Ft. Detrick, Maryland. Thanks to Tina Paul for fascilitating all of this.

A lovely nest parasite of Megachile (leaf-cutter bees)....from Franklin County, Virginia. Picture taken 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.

A lovely nest parasite of Megachile (leaf-cutter bees)....from Franklin County, Virginia. Picture taken 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.

Coelioxys alternata, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, collected by Stephanie Wilson at the Morris Arboretum