All Multimedia

A species of Sphecodes captured in agriculture areas of Puerto Rico by Sara Prado. This is either a new island record or a new species as there are no known records for Sphecodes for the island. Notice the lovely WIPs (Wing Interference Patterns)

An odd story of invasion. This is a Sphecodes, we have posted a series of them recently on Flickr. They are nest parasites. They gather no pollen themselves. There are many species...the odd thing is that I found this on Maui in the Hawaiian Islands. The only native bees on the island (discounting some maybe native bees) are masked bee from the genus Hylaeus.

An unknown species of Sphecodes collected by Tim McMahon in Cecil County. Interesting to ask why Sphecodes often have bring red abdomens when bees theoretically can't see red. Photographed by Brooke Alexander

An odd story of invasion. This is a Sphecodes, we have posted a series of them recently on Flickr. They are nest parasites. They gather no pollen themselves. There are many species...the odd thing is that I found this on Maui in the Hawaiian Islands. The only native bees on the island (discounting some maybe native bees) are masked bee from the genus Hylaeus.

An unknown species of Sphecodes collected by Tim McMahon in Cecil County. Interesting to ask why Sphecodes often have bring red abdomens when bees theoretically can't see red. Photographed by Brooke Alexander

An odd story of invasion. This is a Sphecodes, we have posted a series of them recently on Flickr. They are nest parasites. They gather no pollen themselves. There are many species...the odd thing is that I found this on Maui in the Hawaiian Islands. The only native bees on the island (discounting some maybe native bees) are masked bee from the genus Hylaeus.

An unknown species of Sphecodes collected by Tim McMahon in Cecil County. Interesting to ask why Sphecodes often have bring red abdomens when bees theoretically can't see red. Photographed by Brooke Alexander

A species of Sphecodes tainoi captured in agriculture areas of Puerto Rico by Sara Prado. This is a new island recordfor the island.Notice the lovely WIPs (Wing Interference Patterns)

Sphecodes tainoi captured in agriculture areas of Puerto Rico by Sara Prado. This is a new island record, previously there were no known records for Sphecodes for the island.Notice the lovely WIPs (Wing Interference Patterns)

Well, Sphecodes is a tough group to identify and we shouldn't have photographed it without getting a species ID, but ...it is a lovely to look at bee. Sierra Williams took the picture.

Lindera benzoin - The blossom of the spicebush shrub, common in the bottomlands in the region. Scratching the stem releases wonderful all spice similar smells. 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.

Tiny Oxyopes spider (thanks Bob Kallal for id) only resolvable using a 10x microscope objective attached to a 200mm lens....so much going on amidst those blades of long grass in the tiny pastures we allow to grow, where complicated comings and goings occur in such grand webs of complexity that mowing becomes not just conformity...but slaughter.

Two VERY SMALL spiders. Sadly I know little about spiders so can't tell you the species / group other a number that it is not. This Spider was only about 4mm. Captured outside of my lab in Beltsville, MD. Once I started looking I realized...there are billions of such spiders (tiny ones that is) in an average field.

Unknown spider found March 21, 2013 in a steam tunnel underneath the Beltsville Agriculture Research Center

Tiny 3mm Spider, caught 10/9/2012, placed in hand sanitizer in a cuvette. Note cloud of hairs, might have to drag the specimen to a new location in HS to remove? Replaced the white paper under the specimen with Black and that decreased the highlight burnout on the lightcolored legs.

Two VERY SMALL spiders. Sadly I know little about spiders so can't tell you the species / group other a number that it is not. This Spider was only about 4mm. Captured outside of my lab in Beltsville, MD. Once I started looking I realized...there are billions of such spiders (tiny ones that is) in an average field.

Unknown species of small spider , possibly a juvenile? Beltsville, Maryland, March 2014Canon 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, link to a .pdf of our set up is located in our profile

An orphan picture. Other than it is a spider wasp and came from the county I work in I don't know much more about this azure beauty. It was taken when we were first setting up the camera rig in 2012....so likely just fell between the cracks.

Spider Wasp, unknown species Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Unknown spider found March 21, 2013 in a steam tunnel underneath the Beltsville Agriculture Research Center, Ashley Bradford suggested that this might be...Pholcus phalangioides?

Spider, Prince George's County, Experimental shot in a cuvette in hand sanitizer, this is the underside of the previous specimen...but Ben was able to eliminate more bubbles by carefully pouring the handsanitizer, will be working on lighting too