Cercis canadensis, Redbud, Howard County, Md,

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. Reader...you should make this happen. Photo and specimen taken 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 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.