Megachile mendica, f, right side, Pr. George's Co. Maryland

Leaf-cutter. The most common leaf-cutter in most of Eastern North America. It carries pollen on the underside of its abdomen and those hairs are distinctly tinged with orange, something found in only a few other eastern Megachile. Photograph by Amanda Robinson. 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.