Images

A common spring western Andrena. More colorful than the average dark chocolate Andrena (fuscous is what the old timers would call it). Quite reddish in its integument in spots and a nice yellow clypeus as in this male. Collected in the fabulous Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Photo by Kelly Graninger.

Sexy Andrena. Yes, the normally black Andrena does have some sexy species. Here is one of my favorites. Andrena prunorum jacketed in amber with ribbing of white fur...or something like that. A common western species that leaked just enough out of the West to show up in Badlands National Park where we were studying the bee fauna of the Park.

Sexy Andrena. Yes, the normally black Andrena does have some sexy species. Here is one of my favorites. Andrena prunorum jacketed in amber with ribbing of white fur...or something like that. A common western species that leaked just enough out of the West to show up in Badlands National Park where we were studying the bee fauna of the Park.

A common spring western Andrena. More colorful than the average dark chocolate Andrena (fuscous is what the old timers would call it). Quite reddish in its integument in spots and a nice yellow clypeus as in this male. Collected in the fabulous Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Photo by Kelly Graninger.

This small Andrena is around fairly late in the season (May-June) compared to other Andrena and hangs on on woody low shrubs and brambles. Not common an prone to being misidentified as A. brevipalpis. Hannah Sutton did the pictures.

This small Andrena is around fairly late in the season (May-June) compared to other Andrena and hangs on on woody low shrubs and brambles. Not common an prone to being misidentified as A. brevipalpis. Hannah Sutton did the pictures.

Andrena robertsonii - A little bit tricky to identify, but a bee I associate with taller blooming things such as Blackberrries, shrub hollies, and sumacs. Sumacs are definitely an underrated bee plant.

This small Andrena is around fairly late in the season (May-June) compared to other Andrena and hangs on on woody low shrubs and brambles. Not common an prone to being misidentified as A. brevipalpis. Hannah Sutton did the pictures.

A wee mining bee. Andrena robertsonii lives among the flowers, usually in mid to late spring, where it often lounges around gathering pollen on woody plants, things such as apples, roses, dogwoods, and sumacs. As most of you know it is super similar to A. brevipalpis, but I am not telling you anything new.

This specimen was shot upside down and then inverted in photoshop to see what it would look like in terms of lighting. Its not bad, but I think I prefer the lighting coming more predominantly from above.

From George Washington's Birthplace comes a fall Frost Aster specialist. One of about 6 or so species that specialize on the pollen of Asters and sometimes Goldenrods, these species are uncommonly collected but likely more because people are not looking that true uncommoness. Picture by Brooke Alexander.

Andrena specularia - This is a prairie bee. I know that because it is from North Dakota and there are no records that I know of east of the Mississippi River. In fact, there are no legit records outside of North Dakota. Other than the mysterious Turtle Mountains, ND is all about prairie. I would like to propose that this become the state's bee.

Andrena specularia - This is a prairie bee. I know that because it is from North Dakota and there are no records that I know of east of the Mississippi River. In fact, there are no legit records outside of North Dakota. Other than the mysterious Turtle Mountains, ND is all about prairie. I would like to propose that this become the state's bee.

Andrena specularia - This is a prairie bee. I know that because it is from North Dakota and there are no records that I know of east of the Mississippi River. In fact, there are no legit records outside of North Dakota. Other than the mysterious Turtle Mountains, ND is all about prairie. I would like to propose that this become the state's bee.

Andrena spiraeana is one of the set of bees in the Andrena subgenus Trachandrena. One of the characteristics of this relatively distinctive group are the deeply impressed fovea between the compound eyes and the antennae. A spring bee, I associate this species with wooded wetlands...but I may be simply mistaken on that account.

Andrena spiraeana is one of the set of bees in the Andrena subgenus Trachandrena. One of the characteristics of this relatively distinctive group are the deeply impressed fovea between the compound eyes and the antennae. A spring bee, I associate this species with wooded wetlands...but I may be simply mistaken on that account.

Andrena spiraeana is one of the set of bees in the Andrena subgenus Trachandrena. One of the characteristics of this relatively distinctive group are the deeply impressed fovea between the compound eyes and the antennae. A spring bee, I associate this species with wooded wetlands...but I may be simply mistaken on that account.

Various Andrena, adding to the catalog....most with bad hair. Sigh.

Various Andrena, adding to the catalog....most with bad hair. Sigh.

Another uncommon woodland Andrena. Andrena thaspii also is largely unstudied. Kelly Graninger took the picture and Ellison Orcutt caught the bee in Virginia.

Andrena uvulariae, Female, Recently, this species was known only from the type, but work by Mike Arduser, Joan Milam, and John Ascher have resulted locating additional specimens along the the male. It appears to be a pollen specialist on Bellflowers. This specimen is approximately 100 years old from the Smithsonian collection.