Andrena nida, F, Left, MD, Prince George's county

Most people don't realize how important willow trees are to our native bees in North America. They are a major pollen and nectar source early in the spring and they have more specialists than almost any other plant on the continent. Here is one of those specialists. This is Andrena nida. This bee feed it's young only the pollen from Willow. It is also unusual in that it has only two submarginal cells rather than the normal three, not that almost anyone is counting. So, consider planting willows, particularly the shrubby ones, in your wetlands and your small damp areas in your yards and properties, it doesn't take much to do something good for the environment if you're planting native plants. Picture by Brooke Alexander. 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 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.