Melissodes desponsa, f, face, Maine, Du Clos

Pollen, pollen, pollen, pollen, on a Melissodes desponsa...a species usually associated with Thistles so this may well be thistle pollen. Note that while bees may carry loads of pollen on their legs...pollen usually gathers loosely all over the bee and this is thought to be the pollen that does much of the pollination on plants. Brianne Du Clos collected this girl in Maine during her studies of blueberry fields and their surroundings. Photography by Dejen Mengis. 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.