usinterior photos on Flickr

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.

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

usinterior (U.S. Department of the Interior)： The Taggart Lake Trail offers some of the best views of the rugged mountain peaks in #Wyoming’s #GrandTeton #NationalPark. It's a beautiful hike through a mixed coniferous forest and large stands of aspens, en by Leonardo Pérez

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

1

Dieunomia nevadensis, f, right, A.A Co, MD_2019-03-23-11.59.17 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

34 5

Why rare bees are attracted to me? A question that doesn't really keep me up at night, but...here consider this Dieunomia nevadensis. (Nice orange legs there, lady Di). This bee is known from one site in Maryland. So it is rare. It also has not been found in the surrounding states...so this population would appear to be very special. You have to go to North Carolina to find a record. Interesting in a Bermuda Triangle sort of way is the fact that this site is only a couple of miles from my house. How cool is that? This particular specimen collected by Tim McMahon, but the very first one (and there was only one) I found at a sand mine at the same spot. This has happened repeatedly, I am seemingly surrounded by rare bees that are attracted from long distances away to be near me. Or, perhaps it is not so much my beeaura but the fact that there are so few people really looking for bees? How are bees really doing then? Don't ask me I have beeaura issues. Photo by Brooke Goggins.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Lasioglossum hudsoniellum, f, face, Pennington, SD_2018-11-16-15.41.21 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

24 6

Today, having been dulled hunting bees in the heat I have decided to write this account in Latin (translation at the end). Lectio flagranti as we say.

Have septum templi prope chartæ extremitates. Halictus hudsoniellum hic. Abdomen nigrum vel nigra circa quam est quaedam autem fictilis per imaginem suam vogued underlayment rubrum. Hoc est apis occidentis, sed, sicut de ea uvam occidentis apes non sneaks a Badlands in Meridianus Dakota, ubi argilla inquinant gumbo communis inopia fruticum ac aspirant ad meridiem vegetabilis plus mentis habitu. Sic enim in multis apes, scilicet distributionem et deficient et in loco lineae clara demarcate in insulis et in sinu contingat extra septa normalis noxiorum, qui nescit unde quaerere. Non est enim beeographers cetera.

Ranges Have Edges. Lasioglossum hudsoniellum here. Rather than a black or near black abdomen it has vogued its image with some brick red underlayment. This is a western bee, but, like bunches of them western bees it sneaks into the Badlands of South Dakota , where the clay gumbo soils and general lack of vegetation aspire to a more southwestern vegetative outlook. So it is with many bees, distributions fail to demarcate themselves in bright lines and instead islands and pockets occur outside their normal ranges to titillate those who know where to look. There is no rest for beeographers.

Layers of Color by Alan Troidl

10

When the fireweed is flowering it transforms every scene of Alaska with its intensely saturated color but it still cannot steal the show from the incredible vistas.

Denali National Park and Preserve

Alaska

Halictus parallelus, m, right, Prince George's Co, MD_2019-03-21-23.21.33 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

38 5

Kinda Sorta Similar. Last post was of a Dieunomia, this one is of a Halictus. Halictus parallelus, the largest of the eastern Halictus. They kinda sorta look similar, same family, but different genera. But once you drill in differences emerge in shape of the wing veins, colors on the face, the fanciful architecture of the male legs in Dieunomia (So weird I thought I had a wasp when I caught my first one...). More like the difference between mule deer and elk. Really, I don't know where I am going with this, but this can happen to you when you use spontaneous writingship, lack an editor, believe in the free punctuation movement, and were traumatized as a child through imposition of the fake science of sentence diagramming. Finally, I like this bee, and enjoy seeing them in a field collection since they don't really hang out so much in junk habitat. Photo by Brooke Goggins.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

#Sunset illuminates the Doll House at #Canyonlands National Park in #Utah. Photo by #NationalPark Service. by usinterior by _brent

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

2

via Instagram ift.tt/1N3hLIo

Mojave Warmth. by Ryan Hallock

38 3

The sun setting behind Mt. San Jacinto, as a crescent moon begins to descend.

Andrena macra, f, left, Kent Co. Maryland_2019-03-22-02.07.19 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

34 9

Andrena macra. One of almost 100 species of Andrena that occur in the State of Maryland. Quick glance, another dark bee, but if you look close you will see the dense pitting on the top of the abdomen, the subtle white hair bands on the abdomen, and most importantly the clincher is the inner tibial spur is s-curved in sigmoidality, while other species have more or less straight ones...sadly this is not visible in this picture, but take a look at the lovely tongue architecture instead and ponder why your tongue does not look like that. Or ... is it a tongue? Photo by Brooke Goggins.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

The Great Smoky Mountains by Mital Patel

59 3

Enjoyed a quick trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last week.. it's quite the serene place.. as the sun was coming down, the sky burst into this fiery orange glow reflecting from the clouds and fog.. pretty easy to see how they came up with the name for the park. Enjoy!

murder hornet, f, mandibles of death_2020-10-01-19.13.54 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

38 5

MURDER HORNET FRIDAY! Welcome to the first in a series of pictures of Vespa mandarinia, recently deemed the Murder Hornet in the media, but more commonly called some variant of "Asian Giant Hornet" . The beefiest of all the world's hornets (which presumably means beefiest in the universe) this is the chewing end of the hornet, mandibles spread, used to chew up wood and plant fiber for its nests and chomp big insects and process them into baby murder hornet food. All those things in between might be called the wasp's "tongue" but these structures are so different than our tongue that this term is misleading. There are lapping devices here and help with the manipulation of the soft materials the mandibles pull out. The details of what those palps and other structures are actually useful for escapes me. Thanks to Izzy Hill for purchasing this specimen prior to the debut of the Murder Hornet in the media. ~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

www.amazon.com/Bees-Up-Close-Pollinators-Around-World/dp/...

Art Photo Book: Bees: An Up-Close Look at Pollinators Around the World:

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Leafhopper, u, back, Dominican Republic_2019-12-18-10.42.29 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

29 8

Leafhopper, From one of our expeditions to the Dominican Republic, pulled from the cast off pile as too pretty to cast off. I am not a leafhopper person, so this remains only as "leafhopper" . That said, leafhoppers and other plant sucking insect ilk are one of several covert layers of biodiversity that few are aware of. For example, many leafhoppers are specialists feeding only on a select few species of native plants. Again, this takes us back to Nature-based strategies that look to creating and maintaining plantscapes as targeted biodiverse native plant groups (versus: we like pretty color flowers groups) and then the insects etc. backfill automatically (as least far as we are concerned). since we know so little about the these covert insects its the best we can do. There's a meandering account for you. Photo by Cole Cheng who used to be an intern in the lab until fear fear of the Rona left only me.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Silver hair wasp, face_2020-08-18-12.58.35 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

34 4

Here from the MAGLEV proposed impact site on the Federal Biological Research Reserves outside of Washington come of a near bee wasp. This jobber here is in the former Sphecidae group which now has been split between Sphecidae and Crabronidae (I am leaning Sphecidae, but not 100% on that). Their wing veination is very similar to bees and they cross-mis-identification happens regularly. One hint here is the silvery (versus white) hairs on the face, which is a wasp thing not a bee thing. More accurate ids welcome. Photo by Anders Croft. ~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

www.amazon.com/Bees-Up-Close-Pollinators-Around-World/dp/...

Art Photo Book: Bees: An Up-Close Look at Pollinators Around the World:

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

After_a_spectacular__sunset_at__LakeMcDonald__visitors_at__Glacier_National_Park_in__Montana_were_greeted_with_some_beautiful_alpenglow_last_week._Photo__glaciernps_by_Jacob_W._Frank___NationalPark_Service._by_usinterior by joe chappell

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

1

After_a_spectacular__sunset_at__LakeMcDonald__visitors_at__Glacier_National_Park_in__Montana_were_greeted_with_some_beautiful_alpenglow_last_week._Photo__glaciernps_by_Jacob_W._Frank___NationalPark_Service._by_usinterior.jpg

usinterior (U.S. Department of the Interior)： Sacred to more than a dozen Native American tribes, #DevilsTower #NationalMonument (@devilstowernps) in #Wyoming was originally called “Bear’s Lodge” or “Bear’s Tipi.” Its otherworldly appearance played a role by Leonardo Pérez

Melissodes denticulata, m, face, Montgomery, MD_2018-11-16-15.21.16 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

26 10

Ironweed specialist. Well at least the female is a specialist in that she feeds here babies the bright white pollen of this group of plants. If you plant Ironweed in your garden Melissodes denticulatus will show up they are that common (ironweed is common too). The male is distinctive because it has pale offwhite instead of yellow markings on its face and those markings don't go all the way to the upper sutures of the clypeus. ... but you knew that. Photo by Erick Hernandez.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Enveloped by Alan Troidl

8 1

Thick fog (low clouds?) obscure Exit Glacier from view but the movement and melting cannot be stopped as the mineral rich waters flow onward.

Exit Glacier

Kenai Fjords National Park

Alaska

Osmia grindeliae, f, back ,Yosemite_2018-05-17-00.14.42 ZS by USGS Bee Lab

35 3

Can't go wrong with metallic blue. Osmia grindeliae...just finishing up a series of the females.

"This bee was collected in the California Central Valley in Yolo County for research on small-scale restoration in agricultural areas. Claire Kremen's 10-year study of hedgerows shows the benefits of planting native shrubs and forbs in agricultural areas for native bees. To learn more about the Kremen Lab and hedgerows, see nature.berkeley.edu/kremenlab/"; Photo by Samia Shell.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

#Repost @edaccessible:Photo by Nate Luebbe via @usinterior ・・・ tagsforlikes #love #instagood #me #follow #tbt #cute #photooftheday #followme #like4like #friends #igers #smile #fun #instadaily #picoftheday #beautiful #girl #happy #bestoftheday #tflers #swa by Steve Krohn

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

#WildlifeWednesday by Evan Wexler

7 2

Happy #wildlifewednesday from this glorious Red Shouldered Hawk I spotted by the visitor center down at Flamingo in Everglades National Park.

:

- In Everglades National Park, you are on Seminole and Tequesta land. #FindYourPark

:

- shot on a #sonya7riv, #shotwithhoya’s polarizer with a 70-300 mm lens. ISO 100, f22, 1/100 secs. Edited in #Lightroom.

:

📍 #Everglades #evergladesnp @friendsoftheeverglades @tropicalaudubon @nationalparksfl #evergladesnationalpark #floridaexplored #miami #florida #shareevergladesphoto @evergladesnps ##hashtagflorida #fcvoters @fcvoters #roamflorida

- #wildlifephotography #wildlife

- #usinterior #experienceyouramerica #nationalparkgeek #nationalparkwonders #flickr #flickrfeature #travelwithmoon #nationalparkservice #yes_busa #sonyalpha #bealpha : @sonyalpha @Lightroom @flickr @NationalParkService @USInterior @nationalparkgeek @bestoftheusa_nationalparks @national_park_photographer

1

via Instagram ift.tt/2dEbgB4

Nomada erigeronis, m, face, Talbot, Poplar Island, MD_2019-10-21-16.15.17 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

36 4

First Maryland Record for Nomada erigeronis. This male was found by Gene Scarpula on traps set on a dredge spoil island in the Chesapeake Bay (Poplar Island). Since this is a man made island, created about 20 years ago, this means it had to fly over 2 miles to get to that island and that means there has to be enough of these bees in the surrounding area that at least one blundered onto the island (Gene has recorded about 100 species on that island...all having had to do the same thing). Bees aren't so wimpy as the "Save the Bees" couch warmers might think. Sometimes they just up an save themselves. You just have to build them an island an they will come.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Tetraopes tetrophthalmus, back_2020-07-29-15.26.30 ZS by USGS Bee Lab

26 6

Red Milkweed Beetle. Found in the natural area slated for the proposed MAGLEV repair facility on public land in Beltsville, Maryland. Tetraopes tetrophthalmus. Lives on milkweed. You know the story. Bright red, lounges on top of the milkweed vine. If you eat me, you will regret it sort of thing. Photo by Anders Croft.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Andrena ovatula, right, Dvorynadzitavou, Slovakia_2019-12-16-20.11.37 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

28 6

If you are ever in the village of Dvory nad Žitavou in the spring, head to the levee of the Žitava river and you might find this bee: Andrena ovatula. A widespread, common apparently sandy soil loving Andrena. This specimen captured there by Peter Šima.

The world is lit up with over 1500 kinds of Andrena. Each year Billions to Trillions are produced, flying about, gathering food for their nests, inadvertently pollinating all sorts of wild plants and bunches of things we like to eat. Similarly, a few billion people flit about those same areas (looking at their cell phones, of course). Yet. Both Andrenas and humans so very oblivious to the other, despite the big ol brackets they place around the other's lives. We at least should give them a medal (the bees, not the humans).

Photos by Cole Cheng.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Osmia illinoensis, m, face, Rockingham Co, VA_2019-03-21-21.40.41 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

38 3

Range Jumper. This range jumper jumped from Illinois to Virginia. There are no records in between. How odd....this is a rare bee in its limited range in the Midwest and to find it all the way in the Mountains of Virginia seems near fantastical, but there it is and more than one specimen too. Also interesting to note that all the other Osmia in the East range from Black to dark metallic blue...nothing like this green bling, so its not like it was overlooked by past bee workers.

The identification was confirmed by Molly Rightmyer. Good work Virginia Heritage People (Ellison Orcutt) who found this rare bee (as well as others) by starting to do surveys in the corners of the state. Photo by Brooke Goggins.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

You can tell it’s Monday by the look of this great horned owl. The largest of the eared or tufted #owls in North America, the #GreatHornedOwl is a wonderful and fascinating bird. Covered in extremely soft feathers that insulate them against cold weather a by gardenspics

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

by usinterior ift.tt/1ZXAyrW

Happy birthday, #Zion National Park! On this date in 1919, Zion became #Utah’s first #nationalpark. Today @zionnps preserves 229 square miles of red rock landscape, featuring high plateaus, a maze of sandstone canyons and waterfalls with colorful hanging by Ojas Ray

by usinterior

In this rare sight, a double #moonbow curves above the base of Upper #YosemiteFalls at #Yosemite #NationalPark in #California. Photographer Nick Steinberg spent three days chasing moonbows, which are lunar rainbows that can be seen on many @yosemitenps #w by Mark McNeely

by usinterior ift.tt/1q2BwqK

regram @usinterior Did you know that a group of black footed ferrets is called a business? That’s just one interesting fact about these #endangered animals. In 1987, only 18 were known to exist. With recovery efforts led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv by civitoto

1

Triepeolus rhododontus, face, f, Talbot, MD_2019-10-21-19.01.43 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

27 8

A new bee species record for the state of Maryland. Triepeolus rhododontus was found on a dredge spoil island in the Chesapeake Bay. One of the interesting aspects of this island is that it is 2 miles from the coast of the Bay and did not have any significant original habitat (the islands formerly there has shrunk to about an acre). So all the bees there had to travel across 2 miles of water to live there. So there is good indication here that bees are good at dispersing once they emerge from their nests. It is a nest parasite of Melissodes bees which also were extremely common there, including several species we normalliy don't see that many of. Thanks to Gene Scarpulla and FWS for doing this study. Pictures by Erick Hernandez.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Nomada graenicheri, face, f, Ritchie, WV_2019-10-21-15.57.45 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

31 5

Nomada are one of the more colorful bees in Eastern North America. Relatively bare of hairs (for a bee) which makes sense since they don't carry pollen, they steal it. They steal it by dropping off an egg in another bee's nest and its young kill's the host young and eats all the food (you probably know people like this). You may ask which species of bees host this Nomada graenicheri? And, I will say I don't know as bees nests are hard to find to begin with let along figuring out what is parasitizing them. Picture taken by Erick Hernandez and specimen captured in the mountains of West Virginia by Mr. WV Bees, Mark Hepner.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Andrena macoupinensis, f, face, Prince George's Co. Maryland_2019-12-16-19.42.21 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

27 4

Willow Bee. Another set of shots of Andrena macoupinensis. This is one of a clade of bees the only gather pollen from willows. As has been mentioned before, willows are one of the secret powerhouses of pollen and nectar in North America. Stands of which stick around for centuries and create consistent forage for these bees, which may be why willow flowers are green, lacking the color signal of other, more desparate, flowers. Photo, by Cole Cheng.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Bombus californicus, f, face, Yolo Co, CA_2019-03-21-19.28.30 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

38 4

A western bumble bee. Bombus californicus is a reasonably uncommon dark-winged Bumble bee that ranges from the Rockies to the West and whose populations may have been knocked back by the same pathogen suite as the gone or nearly gone species such as B. affinis and B. franklini. This bee was collected in the California Central Valley in Yolo County for research on small-scale restoration in agricultural areas. Claire Kremen's 10-year study of hedgerows shows the benefits of planting native shrubs and forbs in agricultural areas for native bees. To learn more about the Kremen Lab and hedgerows, see nature.berkeley.edu/kremenlab/.

Photo by Brooke Goggins.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Andrena polemonii, f, face, New Castle co., Delaware_2020-08-18-17.04.28 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

27 5

What we don't know...about Andrena polemonii. See this specimen? This came from the wonderful native plant center in northern Delaware called Mount Cuba. Matt Sarver found it doing surveys of bees and targetted the plants that had specialist bees known to associate with them. One of those plants is Polemonium reptans which is the host to the bee pictured. So no big deal that Matt found a bunch of the bees except for the fact that the nearest known record for that species was on the border of Ohio and WV. Does that mean they flew in from WV to visit Mt. Cuba? Almost certainly not, more likely than not there are pockets of A. polemonii between these two sites...just no one has looked. Photo by Anders Croft.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Nomada graenicheri, f, face, Buckingham Co., VA_2018-06-20-17.16.19 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

29 4

Now here is a beauty. Nomada graenicheri, rare as all get out and its host is unknown (but could be one of the summer Andrena...). This one was collected in the mountains of Virginia by Megan Ayers as part of her team's efforts to survey the bees of that state. For some reason the facial shot presents notes of anime...at least to me. Photo by Erick Hernandez.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Coelioxys novomexicana, f, back, Yolo, CA_2019-03-22-07.46.25 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

34 3

Coelioxys....invader of Megachile nests. This female is designed to slice into Meg nests and insert and egg which later will kill the baby leaf cutter and consume the food. This one is from the Southwest, Coelioxys novomexicana. This bee was collected in the California Central Valley in Yolo County for research on small-scale restoration in agricultural areas. Claire Kremen's 10-year study of hedgerows shows the benefits of planting native shrubs and forbs in agricultural areas for native bees. To learn more about the Kremen Lab and hedgerows, see nature.berkeley.edu/kremenlab/ Photo by Erick Hernandez

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

stink bug 9-1-2020 top hor. jade louis_2020-09-01-19.57.49 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

27 5

Do not hate the stink bug. This looks like the most hated of stink bug, the brown-marmorated one. But yet, it more certainly our native Dusky Stink Bug (Euschistus tristigmus) (hmm, what do I mean by "our", it implies ownership, yet do we really own wild things?). Anyway, another plant sucker. Check out the sharp-shoulders. Think about plants, they can't move, they appear to be completely defenseless to anything that wants to eat them up, sip their fluids, burrow in or other wise use in unfriendly ways. Just think if you were chained to a tree...how long would you last? (probably not a good analogy, but an intriguing thought exercise in any case, it is Sunday morning after all, time for introspection). Photo by Jade Louis. . ~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

www.amazon.com/Bees-Up-Close-Pollinators-Around-World/dp/...

Art Photo Book: Bees: An Up-Close Look at Pollinators Around the World:

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Caupolicana fulvicollis, right, zerene_2020-01-23-16.34.49 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

32 4

Collected by one "E.P. Reed" probably about 100 years ago in Central Chile this is from an orphaned collection of bees from the Smithsonian. While in the process of returning we are taking a few pictures of some of the more interesting bees. This is Caupolicana fulvicollis. At least some, if not all, of these bees are crepsucular bees...out only at dawn or at dusk where they have a secret pollen handshake with the few plants that only open their blossoms in crepusculance (possibly not a real word, but sounds like it should be to me). Note the large ocelli on this bee....a pretty good sign that it indeed is working in low light. Picture by Anders Croft from our lab.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Is there a more photogenic place than #GrandTeton #NationalPark (@grandtetonnps) in #Wyoming? From overlooks like Schwabacher’s Landing, photographers can capture the iconic #mountains, the #SnakeRiver plain and the incredible interplay of #sunlight and # by gardenspics

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

by usinterior ift.tt/1Q7BRm7

Lasioglossum fuscipenne, m, Beltsville, face_2020-10-16-18.26.40 ZS PMax UDR-Recovered by USGS Bee Lab

27 4

The Malingering Bee. This is a male Lasioglossum fuscipenne. The species, as a species, is out whenever it is warm. A commonish species it is. In the MidAtlantic it would wing rassle with L. coriaceum for regional commonest champion. It would win, however, because until a hard freeze occurs the males often become the most common non-honeybee bee in late October and November. Loving life on any flower they can find. What gives? I don't have time, but I will give you all our data and you can look at interesting questions such as when the females (in comparison) trim their sales, look for mirrored patterns with L. coriacium and measure the specialness quotient of this odd phenom...for a male bee without a female bee is no bee at all really so why bother to linger when the others simply disappear? Photo by Elizabeth Panner. Oh, it, as usual these days, was found on on of the proposed 200 acre Beltsville MAGlev Trainyard sites. ~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

www.amazon.com/Bees-Up-Close-Pollinators-Around-World/dp/...

Art Photo Book: Bees: An Up-Close Look at Pollinators Around the World:

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Colletes thoracicus,m,face,Shenandoah Co., VA_2018-05-16-19.28.29 ZS by USGS Bee Lab

34 4

For whatever reason we haven't taken any very good pictures of this here bee, Colletes thoracicus. This species is one of two that form huge aggregations in loose or sandy soils in the Eastern U.S. Very cool and for some reason lacking any Bee Nest Parasites (Epeolus) that haunt other Colletes. The males swarm over the aggregations creating fear in the American populace of and imminent sting attach of their little darlings (they, of course, are unafraid). No need for fear as simply lying down in the middle of colony will prove. ... it is even more impressive if you take your clothes off. This male is from Shenandoah National Park, collected by Jessica Rykken and photoed by Greta Forbes.

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All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Megachile integra, f, left, Suffolk, VA_2018-06-20-14.15.19 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

33 3

Megachile integra is one of a small clade of Megachile and Trachusa that need small viney things in the pea family (fuzzy beans and milk peas) to feed their babies. These are nice purple flowering plants, but tend toward unkemptedness and clambering over other plants so they are almost never included in plantings for pollinators, yet, yet, yet, they should and I would imagine that they could be incorporated into edges and ditches and other locations where I have seen them in the wild. This specimen captured by Ellison Orcutt with the fabulous team at the Virginia Natural Hertage group and found in Suffolk County (or is it a town?) in Virginia. Pictures by Kelly Graninger.

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All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Bombus humilis, m, right, Podunajska, Slovakia_2019-12-16-21.25.16 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

26 6

Bombus humilis - You would think from the genus name that this is a bumble bee. But, as I found out when looking up this lovely Slovakian bee from Peter Šima I have to do a little background reading. My expectation was that this common bee which spans the northernish section of the Eurasia (the Palearctic if you want to be fancy) would be something something bumble bee, but....and hear I think I have a strong case for English eccentricism (which I prefer over American exceptionalism, because eccentric acts are usually gentle and harmless) I find out this bee is one of a group of 3 "carder bees". Of course this is doubly confusing because the English also call Anthidiums "Wool Carder Bees" (completely different family by the way). It seems so unnecessary since any reasonable person would call them "bumble bees" and so typical of the English language. If only North American chose to speak Spanish like most of the rest of the hemisphere this problem would not occur because Spanish is a reasonable language with clear rules. For some reason the person taking this picture did not log their data into the tracking spreadsheet (I wonder if I can also blame this on the English language...).

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

It’s #NationalBirdDay! Besides being a source of beauty and inspiration, #birds are an important part of our ecosystem. Many species are at risk because of habitat loss, disease and climate change. Public education and conservation are the best tools to e by Mark McNeely

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah by Brian Stowell / IG: @brianstowell

13 1

An atypical view of Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. We hiked down into the bowl beneath the arch to retrieve some trash some idiots threw down there, and returned via this route for a little extra bouldering fun.

More adventures:

www.brianstowell.com

Instagram: @brianstowell

Tumblr: @brianstowell

Facebook: /brianstowellphoto

500px: /brianstowell

New Mexican Texture by Alan Troidl

9

A beautiful Sunday morning hike at the Elena Gallegos Open Space offers stunning views of the mountains east of Albuquerque as the sun and shadows play with the peaks.

Sandia Mountains

by usinterior ift.tt/1OxkURn

Hoplitis fulgida, male, back_2012-07-31-15.33.44 ZS PMax by USGS Bee Lab

37 3

Hoplitis fulgida (fulgid is Latin for bling). This is one of our early shots, taken of a bee from Grand Teton National Park. It is a terrible specimen in many ways, not symmetrically arrayed, a bit crumpled, probably why I had ignored it. However, a closer look makes me appreciate its crumpledness, in a way it honors the deadness of the specimen without hiding its beauty. Two versions, one with some of the original highlights in the photo (slightly enhanced) Photo by Sierra Williams (now getting a Chemistry Degree on the west Coast!).

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

Light beams shine through a stormy sky to illuminate the 30-square-mile expanse of sand dunes at Great Sand Dunes #NationalPark & Preserve in #Colorado. Photographer Ryan Resatka did a strenuous hike up one of the tallest dunes @greatsanddunesnps to captu by gardenspics

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Surging Susitna by Alan Troidl

11 1

Little Susitna River

Hatcher Pass

Alaska

by usinterior ift.tt/1qFOCu4

Townsendiella pulchra, f, face, Portal, AZ_2018-06-20-23.41.18 ZS PMax UDR by USGS Bee Lab

28 8

Here you go. A member of a small group of bees that live on the U.S./Mexico border. They have been there for years, moving back and forth parasitizing Hersperapis and Conanthalictus bees in the area. Small things, usually with reddish backends. Collected by Tim McMahon or Don Harvey on one of their expeditions to Arizona.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

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

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,

We are made one with what we touch and see,

With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,

With our young lives each spring impassioned tree

Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range

The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

- Oscar Wilde

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML

Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:

bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:

Basic USGSBIML set up:

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.

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

or

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking: