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Explore our planet through photography and imagery, including climate change and water all the way back to the 1800s when the USGS was surveying the country by horse and buggy.

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amegilla, m, australia, side
amegilla, m, australia, side
amegilla, m, australia, side

Amegilla....one of a large group of large Old World bees that blend and fracture colors in wonderful ways. In this case this male Amegilla from Australia from the Laurence Packer Lab bee slots in a whole series of subtly iridescent green hairs amidst a mix of white and black, quite nice and surely a useful design for a rug or tapestry of some sort.

Amegilla....one of a large group of large Old World bees that blend and fracture colors in wonderful ways. In this case this male Amegilla from Australia from the Laurence Packer Lab bee slots in a whole series of subtly iridescent green hairs amidst a mix of white and black, quite nice and surely a useful design for a rug or tapestry of some sort.

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amegilla, m, australia, under
amegilla, m, australia, under
amegilla, m, australia, under

Amegilla....one of a large group of large Old World bees that blend and fracture colors in wonderful ways. In this case this male Amegilla from Australia from the Laurence Packer Lab bee slots in a whole series of subtly iridescent green hairs amidst a mix of white and black, quite nice and surely a useful design for a rug or tapestry of some sort.

Amegilla....one of a large group of large Old World bees that blend and fracture colors in wonderful ways. In this case this male Amegilla from Australia from the Laurence Packer Lab bee slots in a whole series of subtly iridescent green hairs amidst a mix of white and black, quite nice and surely a useful design for a rug or tapestry of some sort.

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amegilla, m, face, india
amegilla, m, face, india
amegilla, m, face, india

Tongue of the Amegilla. You can see the longgggg tongue with its brushed tip designed to lap nectar and the odd bits of pollen. You can also see the sheathes and the palps the fold out from under the head to create a tube for sucking up nectar when plentiful. From India = An unknown species of Amegila collected by Suzanne Batra.

Tongue of the Amegilla. You can see the longgggg tongue with its brushed tip designed to lap nectar and the odd bits of pollen. You can also see the sheathes and the palps the fold out from under the head to create a tube for sucking up nectar when plentiful. From India = An unknown species of Amegila collected by Suzanne Batra.

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amegilla, m, side, india
amegilla, m, side, india
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Ammobates muticus, u, italy, back
Ammobates muticus, u, italy, back
Ammobates muticus, u, italy, back

Ammobates muticus, Mediterranean Bee Stalker, specimen collected by E.L. Merim in Palermo, ItalyAnother red-abdomened cuckoo bee; why is it that so many cuckoo bees are more brightly colored than their hosts?

Ammobates muticus, Mediterranean Bee Stalker, specimen collected by E.L. Merim in Palermo, ItalyAnother red-abdomened cuckoo bee; why is it that so many cuckoo bees are more brightly colored than their hosts?

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Ammobates muticus, u, italy, face
Ammobates muticus, u, italy, face
Ammobates muticus, u, italy, face

Ammobates muticus, Mediterranean Bee Stalker, specimen collected by E.L. Merim in Palermo, ItalyAnother red-abdomened cuckoo bee; why is it that so many cuckoo bees are more brightly colored than their hosts?

Ammobates muticus, Mediterranean Bee Stalker, specimen collected by E.L. Merim in Palermo, ItalyAnother red-abdomened cuckoo bee; why is it that so many cuckoo bees are more brightly colored than their hosts?

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Ammobates muticus, u, italy, side
Ammobates muticus, u, italy, side
Ammobates muticus, u, italy, side

Ammobates muticus, Mediterranean Bee Stalker, specimen collected by E.L. Merim in Palermo, ItalyAnother red-abdomened cuckoo bee; why is it that so many cuckoo bees are more brightly colored than their hosts?

Ammobates muticus, Mediterranean Bee Stalker, specimen collected by E.L. Merim in Palermo, ItalyAnother red-abdomened cuckoo bee; why is it that so many cuckoo bees are more brightly colored than their hosts?

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Amorpha fruticosa, md, upper marlboro
Amorpha fruticosa, md, upper marlboro
Amorpha fruticosa, md, upper marlboro

False Indigo Plant. My impression is that this plant has moved only recently into a very common status withing the Chesapeake Bay area, now found commonly along water edges of the upper Bay and fresh and brackish rivers. Seems to be good for species in Megachilidae.

False Indigo Plant. My impression is that this plant has moved only recently into a very common status withing the Chesapeake Bay area, now found commonly along water edges of the upper Bay and fresh and brackish rivers. Seems to be good for species in Megachilidae.

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Amphicarpa bracteata, hog-peanut flower
Amphicarpa bracteata, hog-peanut flower
Amphicarpa bracteata, hog-peanut flower

Hog Peanut handing from Christmas Fern...check out the spores on the Christmas Fern. Specimen and Photograph by Helen Lowe Metzman.

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Anacharoides, usda nmh buffington
Anacharoides, usda nmh buffington
Anacharoides, usda nmh buffington

This is picture 2 from a 12 picture invited series by Matt Buffington at the USDA Parastitic Hymentoptera group using specimens from the U.S. Natural History Museum Smithsonian. Matt uses a system very similar to ours to photograph and stack this super tiny wasp. This native of the Rift Valley in Africa is called Anacharoides.

This is picture 2 from a 12 picture invited series by Matt Buffington at the USDA Parastitic Hymentoptera group using specimens from the U.S. Natural History Museum Smithsonian. Matt uses a system very similar to ours to photograph and stack this super tiny wasp. This native of the Rift Valley in Africa is called Anacharoides.

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Ancyloscelis apiformis, m, paraguay, angle
Ancyloscelis apiformis, m, paraguay, angle
Ancyloscelis apiformis, m, paraguay, angle

Probably a specialist on bindweed pollen, this group of bees runs from the Southwestern states down into southern South America. Note the expanded femurs of this male, interesting to speculate as to why. From the Packer Lab.

Probably a specialist on bindweed pollen, this group of bees runs from the Southwestern states down into southern South America. Note the expanded femurs of this male, interesting to speculate as to why. From the Packer Lab.

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Ancyloscelis apiformis, m, paraguay, side
Ancyloscelis apiformis, m, paraguay, side
Ancyloscelis apiformis, m, paraguay, side

Probably a specialist on bindweed pollen, this group of bees runs from the Southwestern states down into southern South America. Note the expanded femurs of this male, interesting to speculate as to why. From the Packer Lab.

Probably a specialist on bindweed pollen, this group of bees runs from the Southwestern states down into southern South America. Note the expanded femurs of this male, interesting to speculate as to why. From the Packer Lab.

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Ancyloscelis ursinus, f, side, paraguay
Ancyloscelis ursinus, f, side, paraguay
Ancyloscelis ursinus, f, side, paraguay

We have shots of both the male and the female of this Paraguayan species. The group occurs from the deserts of North America down into southern South America, the males have bulbous and rounded hind femurs, modifications seen in a number of bees species around the world.

We have shots of both the male and the female of this Paraguayan species. The group occurs from the deserts of North America down into southern South America, the males have bulbous and rounded hind femurs, modifications seen in a number of bees species around the world.

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Ancyloscelis ursinus, m, face, paraguay
Ancyloscelis ursinus, m, face, paraguay
Ancyloscelis ursinus, m, face, paraguay

We have shots of both the male and the female of this Paraguayan species. The group occurs from the deserts of North America down into southern South America, the males have bulbous and rounded hind femurs, modifications seen in a number of bees species around the world.

We have shots of both the male and the female of this Paraguayan species. The group occurs from the deserts of North America down into southern South America, the males have bulbous and rounded hind femurs, modifications seen in a number of bees species around the world.

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Ancyloscelis ursinus, m, side, paraguay
Ancyloscelis ursinus, m, side, paraguay
Ancyloscelis ursinus, m, side, paraguay

We have shots of both the male and the female of this Paraguayan species. The group occurs from the deserts of North America down into southern South America, the males have bulbous and rounded hind femurs, modifications seen in a number of bees species around the world.

We have shots of both the male and the female of this Paraguayan species. The group occurs from the deserts of North America down into southern South America, the males have bulbous and rounded hind femurs, modifications seen in a number of bees species around the world.

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Ancyloscelis, f, back, La Cruz, Costa Rica
Ancyloscelis, f, back, La Cruz, Costa Rica
Ancyloscelis, f, back, La Cruz, Costa Rica

Tim McMahon hunted down this Ancyloscelis in Costa Rica. The long tongue on this relatively small bee is a thing. This group as a whole has an affinity for flowers with long carollas. In particular, the love morning glories. Which is interesting, because you don't really see morning glories in the seed mix for pollinator plots.

Tim McMahon hunted down this Ancyloscelis in Costa Rica. The long tongue on this relatively small bee is a thing. This group as a whole has an affinity for flowers with long carollas. In particular, the love morning glories. Which is interesting, because you don't really see morning glories in the seed mix for pollinator plots.

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Ancyloscelis, f, face, La Cruz, Costa Rica
Ancyloscelis, f, face, La Cruz, Costa Rica
Ancyloscelis, f, face, La Cruz, Costa Rica

Tim McMahon hunted down this Ancyloscelis in Costa Rica. The long tongue on this relatively small bee is a thing. This group as a whole has an affinity for flowers with long carollas. In particular, the love morning glories. Which is interesting, because you don't really see morning glories in the seed mix for pollinator plots.

Tim McMahon hunted down this Ancyloscelis in Costa Rica. The long tongue on this relatively small bee is a thing. This group as a whole has an affinity for flowers with long carollas. In particular, the love morning glories. Which is interesting, because you don't really see morning glories in the seed mix for pollinator plots.

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Ancyloscelis, f, left, La Cruz, Costa Rica
Ancyloscelis, f, left, La Cruz, Costa Rica
Ancyloscelis, f, left, La Cruz, Costa Rica

Tim McMahon hunted down this Ancyloscelis in Costa Rica. The long tongue on this relatively small bee is a thing. This group as a whole has an affinity for flowers with long carollas. In particular, the love morning glories. Which is interesting, because you don't really see morning glories in the seed mix for pollinator plots.

Tim McMahon hunted down this Ancyloscelis in Costa Rica. The long tongue on this relatively small bee is a thing. This group as a whole has an affinity for flowers with long carollas. In particular, the love morning glories. Which is interesting, because you don't really see morning glories in the seed mix for pollinator plots.

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