Megachile melanophaea, f, face, Mariposa, CA

A sharp looking Megachile from Yosemite National Park. Megachile melanophaea is a bee that runs all across the arctic, the northern parts of the East and down the mountains in the West. Unlike many northern species is does not seem to be interested in the Appalachians. While I don't know about all its various looks across its range in the Northeast it mostly have black pollen carrying hairs with a smallish patch of ochre/orange hairs....this specimen though is much more extensively in the burnt orange color universe...a nice look I think. Part of Claire Kremen's project in the higher elevations of Yosemite National Park in California. 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.