Macrotera latior, male, face

Petrified Forrest National Monument = Rich in bees and bee species. In this case the semi cute Mactrotera latior. Many the these tiny Macrotera are plant specialists garnering pollen from only a few plant species. Sierra Willams took the pictures and Elizabeth Garcia did the photoshopping. 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.