Interesting and very uncommon bee. Meet Coelioxys banksi. I have only seen a couple, both from NJ, I think. What bee is their host? There are specimens from the East Coast and from the West with a hiatus in the middle. Are they different species or are we simply lousy at finding them? What ever is going on , a pretty slick looking bee. Female, of course, because of the pointy butt. Photograph by Erick Hernandez. Collected by Michael Roswell...in ... New Jersey! 10:03, 25 December 2018 (UTC)10:03, 25 December 2018 (UTC){{{{{{0}}}}}}10:03, 25 December 2018 (UTC)10:03, 25 December 2018 (UTC)

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

Beauty is nature's fact. - Emily Dickinson

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:<a href="http://www.extreme-macro.co.uk" rel="nofollow">www.extreme-macro.co.uk/</a> Art Photo Book: Bees: An Up-Close Look at Pollinators Around the World: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bees-Up-Close-Pollinators-Around-World/dp/0760347387/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488851025&sr=8-1&keywords=bees+up+close" rel="nofollow">www.amazon.com/Bees-Up-Close-Pollinators-Around-World/dp/...</a>

Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland: <a href="http://bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf" rel="nofollow">bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf</a> Basic USGSBIML set up: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY" rel="nofollow">www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY</a>

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. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdmx_8zqvN4" rel="nofollow">www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdmx_8zqvN4</a>

Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/collections">www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/collections</a>

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: <a href="https://plus.google.com/events/c5569losvskrv2nu606ltof8odo" rel="nofollow">plus.google.com/events/c5569losvskrv2nu606ltof8odo</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c15neFttoU" rel="nofollow">www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c15neFttoU</a>

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking: <a href="http://www.photomacrography.net/" rel="nofollow">www.photomacrography.net/</a>

Contact information: Sam Droege sdroege@usgs.gov