Andrena macoupinensis, f, face, Morgantown WV

what is your thinking on willows? Like most people, maybe not much. They make great wicker baskets. They also tolerate some pretty extreme conditions along rivers, streams, tundra, that other trees can handle. In the East they are the largest plant being that has "specialist" bees. That is bees that only use the pollen from one group of plants...in this case willow, and in Maryland...there are 8 species. Here is one. Andrena macoupinensis, from a willow study in West Virginia by Sandy Simon. A new state record. Does that mean it is rare? Nope, probably thousands upon thousands of them in that state alone. Get some boots on the ground people. You aren't going to find anything watching Game of Thrones reruns when there is willow blooming. Picture by Brooke Goggins. Nice Lighting Brooke. 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.