Images

Ancyla asiatica, Asiatic Enigma Bee collected in Turkey Nine species of Enigma Bees occur from the Western portion of the Mediterranean to Central Asia. They are called Enigma bees because it has been so difficult to decide which other bees they are closely related to. The reason for this confusion lies in their tongues.

Ancyla asiatica, Asiatic Enigma Bee collected in Turkey Nine species of Enigma Bees occur from the Western portion of the Mediterranean to Central Asia. They are called Enigma bees because it has been so difficult to decide which other bees they are closely related to. The reason for this confusion lies in their tongues.

Ancyla asiatica, Asiatic Enigma Bee collected in Turkey Nine species of Enigma Bees occur from the Western portion of the Mediterranean to Central Asia. They are called Enigma bees because it has been so difficult to decide which other bees they are closely related to. The reason for this confusion lies in their tongues.

Pachyanthidium species, Sawtooth Sputnik Bee, collected in KenyaAnother striking Sputnik Bee from Africa. This group of bees, and the Anthidiini tribe it nestles in taxonomically, are almost all characteristically striped and spotted with bright yellow, white, and red colors on a wide body, usually also with serious amounts of pitting cratering their exoskeleton.

Pachyanthidium species, Sawtooth Sputnik Bee, collected in KenyaAnother striking Sputnik Bee from Africa. This group of bees, and the Anthidiini tribe it nestles in taxonomically, are almost all characteristically striped and spotted with bright yellow, white, and red colors on a wide body, usually also with serious amounts of pitting cratering their exoskeleton.

Pachyanthidium species, Sawtooth Sputnik Bee, collected in KenyaAnother striking Sputnik Bee from Africa. This group of bees, and the Anthidiini tribe it nestles in taxonomically, are almost all characteristically striped and spotted with bright yellow, white, and red colors on a wide body, usually also with serious amounts of pitting cratering their exoskeleton.

Pachyanthidium species, Sawtooth Sputnik Bee, collected in KenyaAnother striking Sputnik Bee from Africa. This group of bees, and the Anthidiini tribe it nestles in taxonomically, are almost all characteristically striped and spotted with bright yellow, white, and red colors on a wide body, usually also with serious amounts of pitting cratering their exoskeleton.

Perilla frutescens, or Beefsteak Plant, a much hated invasive plant, but does have the virtue of both being edible and having lovely remnant seeds pods even after a long winter. Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Bees Learn to Drive Very Small Cars.Scientists capitalized on recent revelations that bees are a lot smarter than previously thought. In addition to being able to count and solve simple puzzles USGS scientists at the Patuxent Native Bee Lab have taught bees to driver miniaturized automobiles.

Dark Flower Scarab (Euphoria sepulcralis) collected in Wicomico County in a glycol trap on a farm by Brooke Alexander and photoshopped by wonderful interns Joyce and Amber

Dominican Republic, possible leaf beetle, floating in hand sanitizer in a cuvette

Lighting Experiment: Agroiconota bivittata - Another tortoise beetle, this one from a glycol trap collected by Brooke Alexander and photographed by Amber Reese, in this case the trick was to increase the lighting on the lower edge, what worked was laying a portion of styrofoam cup slit lengthwise ala butternut squash which nicely reflect the bounced flash back up o

Unknown species, Fossil Butte, Wyoming National Monument

Clerid Beetle, Enoclerus ichneumoneus, Prince George's County, Maryland

Unknown species of beetle (ID Help would be great, maybe the head of a checkered beetle????). Collected in my backyard in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Photograph by Sierra WilliamsCanon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200, link to a .pdf of our set up is located in our profile

Yet another Tortoise Beetle, in this case one with a common name, the Mottled Tortoise Beetle, Deloyala guttata, a feeder on Morning Glory vines, in this case likely a feeder on Sweet Potato Vines (which are nothing but morning glory roots) collected by Brooke Alexander and picture taken by Amber Reese

Dominican Republic, possible leaf beetle, floating in and sanitizer in a Cuvetter

A deep dimensional ethereal midnight blue, this picture only partially portraits the subtle beauty of this beetle captured on a flower during our study of pollinator webs in the Badlands

Unknown leaf beetle from Upper Marlboro, MD, found on Spatterdock. 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.

Experimental Shot of a Beetle from the Badlands of South Dakota placed on a piece of glass in our usual set up. The reflection below is very sharp except there appears to be a secondary reflection perhaps due to the 2 faces of the piece of glass interfereing, more experiments to come.

Experimental shot - Here is a beetle from by-catch from Badlands National Park. The beetle is placed on a piece of glass and stack shot using our usual set up but with black felt on the rear of the glass to minimize the gray color that seems to come from light refracting in the glass behind the specimen.