Images

A small heath, the trailing arbutus. Often thought to be rare, but more often than not simply overlooked. Attracts pollinators like the rest of the grouip. Epigaea repens. Specimen and photo by Helen Lowe Metzman.

A small heath, the trailing arbutus. Often thought to be rare, but more often than not simply overlooked. Attracts pollinators like the rest of the grouip. Epigaea repens. Specimen and photo by Helen Lowe Metzman.

A small heath, the trailing arbutus. Often thought to be rare, but more often than not simply overlooked. Attracts pollinators like the rest of the grouip. Epigaea repens. Specimen and photo by Helen Lowe Metzman.

Ahhhhhh, something new under the sun. Alma Solis a USDA entomologist showed me these specimens of the smallish moth Epitamyra thermalis. After finding essentially nothing about these moths and the super cool sound structure on these male's wings I wrote Alma and she replied: "Sam, you are venturing into scientific NEW information.

Ahhhhhh, something new under the sun. Alma Solis a USDA entomologist showed me these specimens of the smallish moth Epitamyra thermalis. After finding essentially nothing about these moths and the super cool sound structure on these male's wings I wrote Alma and she replied: "Sam, you are venturing into scientific NEW information.

This is the male of a species that parasitizes Megachile (leaf cutter nests) by laying their eggs in the nest of the host, after which the young Coelioxys sodalis emerges and kills the host larvae and consumes the pollen and nectar of the host's young. About 20% of all bees work on this model.

Coelioxys vigilans, Female, Dominican Republic, Hispaniola, Nest parasites of Megachile nests

Coelioxys vigilans, Female, Dominican Republic, March 2012

Coelioxys vigilans, Dominican Republic

Coelioxys vigilans, Dominican Republic, male

Coelioxys vigilans, Dominican Republic

Coelioxys coturnix, female, July 2012 along Railroad tracks in Cumberland Maryland

Coelioxys coturnix, female, Maryland, July 2012, Cumberland

Coelioxys coturnix, female, Maryland, July 2012, Cumberland

Coelioxys sayi, female, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Odenton, Maryland

Coelioxys sayi, female, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Odenton, Maryland

Coelioxys sayi, female, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Odenton, Maryland

Spotted lady beetle,Coleomegilla maculata, a relatively common native species of lady beetle, sadly most of the most common lady beetles are not native these days. This one, interestingly, feeds an awful lot on pollen from flowers, and therefore I often catch it when collecting bees.

Colletes aestivalis. Rare? or Not Rare? This is a Heuchera specialist. Heuchera is planted everywhere, why is the species not seen and seen by some as a potential species of concern. A few things pilgrim.

Colletes aestivalis. Rare? or Not Rare? This is a Heuchera specialist. Heuchera is planted everywhere, why is the species not seen and seen by some as a potential species of concern. A few things pilgrim.

Colletes aestivalis. Rare? or Not Rare? This is a Heuchera specialist. Heuchera is planted everywhere, why is the species not seen and seen by some as a potential species of concern. A few things pilgrim.