Andrena cressonii, Male, Back, Maryland

One of the most common Andrena in the East, as well as throughout the US and southern Canada. Here we have the male of Andrena cressonii. This species shows up across many habitats, weedy, wooded, agricultural, lawns, suburbs, and wildlands. While you can see it in this picture, the males have extremely wide faces with yellow not only on the clypeus, but the areas surrounding the clypeus. Quite distinctive. Another feature that helps distinguish the species from others is the high density of pits it has on its abdomen. Clearly visible in this picture. 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 USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos that bleed into the black background from "hot" color sections of the picture.