Hylaeus leptocephalus, f, face, Dorchester Co, MD

For some reason this species, Hylaeus leptocephalus, one of the masked bees, is one of the first non-native bees ever detected in the Americas. Oddly, it was first detected in the Dakotas around 1900. There must be a good story there, but we don't know what it is.... Reasonably common now, but mostly in disturbed, urban environments. You are more likely to find it in your garden than the wilderness. Photos by Hannah Sutton. 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,