Images

Euryglossina leyburnensis, Cylidrical Perplexing Bee, collected in AustraliaDoes this look like a bee? Not really, and indeed the Cylindrical Perplexing Bee has fooled many a melittologist (the self-proclaimed name for those of us who instead of becoming plumbers or presidents took up the study of bees). Why does it look so different?

Evaniid wasp, Maryland, Ensign Wasp 2012, possibly Hyptia harpyoides with help from Andy Deans, Anne Arundel County

Big, Big, Big, In all its black-winged metallic glory...this species is larger than any bee north of Mexico, we trekked 2 days into the jungles of Guyana to find it. This species, and the genus as a whole, is a nest parasite on other equally large canopy dwelling Orchid Bees.

Big, Big, Big, In all its black-winged metallic glory...this species is larger than any bee north of Mexico, we trekked 2 days into the jungles of Guyana to find it. This species, and the genus as a whole, is a nest parasite on other equally large canopy dwelling Orchid Bees.

Big, Big, Big, In all its black-winged metallic glory...this species is larger than any bee north of Mexico, we trekked 2 days into the jungles of Guyana to find it. This species, and the genus as a whole, is a nest parasite on other equally large canopy dwelling Orchid Bees.

A large, parasitic orchid bee (Exaerte smaragdina). This bumble bee sized shimmering saucepan of blue and melted green was collected by Tim McMahon a few days ago in the Bagaces region of Costa Rica, where he used chemical lures similar to the orchid oils that these bees gather from .... orchids in the canopy.

A large, parasitic orchid bee (Exaerte smaragdina). This bumble bee sized shimmering saucepan of blue and melted green was collected by Tim McMahon a few days ago in the Bagaces region of Costa Rica, where he used chemical lures similar to the orchid oils that these bees gather from .... orchids in the canopy.

A large, parasitic orchid bee (Exaerte smaragdina). This bumble bee sized shimmering saucepan of blue and melted green was collected by Tim McMahon a few days ago in the Bagaces region of Costa Rica, where he used chemical lures similar to the orchid oils that these bees gather from .... orchids in the canopy.

Exomalopsis pulchella, female, GTMO, CUBA, June 2011

Exomalopsis pulchella, female, Cuba, GTMO June 2011

Exomalopsis similis, female, CUBA, GTMO, 2011, June

Exoneura species, Two-tone Reed Bee, specimen collected in AustraliaLong: Reed Bees are found only on the continent of Australia and it is likely that most of the 41 species nest in the pithy centers of plant stems, similar to the Small Carpenter Bees (Ceratina).

Exoneura species, Two-tone Reed Bee, specimen collected in AustraliaLong: Reed Bees are found only on the continent of Australia and it is likely that most of the 41 species nest in the pithy centers of plant stems, similar to the Small Carpenter Bees (Ceratina).

Exoneura species, Two-tone Reed Bee, specimen collected in AustraliaLong: Reed Bees are found only on the continent of Australia and it is likely that most of the 41 species nest in the pithy centers of plant stems, similar to the Small Carpenter Bees (Ceratina).

Exoneura species, Two-tone Reed Bee, specimen collected in AustraliaLong: Reed Bees are found only on the continent of Australia and it is likely that most of the 41 species nest in the pithy centers of plant stems, similar to the Small Carpenter Bees (Ceratina).

Counting-out RhymeSilver bark of beech, and sallowBark of yellow birch and yellowTwig of willow.Stripe of green in moosewood maple,Color seen in leaf of apple,Bark of popple.Wood of popple pale as moonbeam,Wood of oak for yoke and barn-beam,Wood of hornbeam.Silver bark of beech, and hollowStem of elder, tall and yellowTwig of willow.- Edna St.Vincent Millay

Spodoptera frugiperda - Fall Armyworm, another defoliating moth species, slightly different from the previous series on the Southern Armyworm.

Spodoptera frugiperda - Fall Armyworm, another defoliating moth species, slightly different from the previous series on the Southern Armyworm.

Corn Destructor! Not the beautiful form pictured here, but her rapacious teenagers, who tresspass, and just trash fields of corn, hide as pupae and repeat the whole cycle. Oh BTW this is the Fall Armyworm. Spodoptera frugiperda. Quite pretty really.

Cicindela scutellaris - the Festive Tiger Beetle, found on top of a butte in Badlands National Park that had ancient windblown sand at its crest, very different from the rest of the gumbo soils of the park. Here this sand specialist can build its long burrows. Experimenting with using Black Velvet as a background ...

Cicindela scutellaris - the Festive Tiger Beetle, found on top of a butte in Badlands National Park that had ancient windblown sand at its crest, very different from the rest of the gumbo soils of the park. Here this sand specialist can build its long burrows. Experimenting with using Black Velvet as a background ...