Andrena platyparia, m, face, Washington Co_2020-08-17-14.15.29 ZS PMax UDR

Description:

Swida anyone? Andrena platyparia is part of small closely related group of four Eastern North Americans (all with the first name of Andrena) that like to feed their babies pollen from the shrubby dogwoods. The fact that they specialize in pollen from shrubby dogwoods (this is the so called Swida group of dogwoods) and not the Dogwood that everyone fawns over (Cornus florida or the flowering dogwood (which, while not so great for bees does have the most amazingly sensual wood, it polishes to such slinky smoothness when sanded down with ultra fine grits that I use them as railings in my house and posts just so that I can touch them as I go by (this may seem slightly odd, but it is not, you just don't have access to dogwood wood, or you would do this too))). So, back to the main point, plantaxonomists have argued for year that the Swida group deserves its own genus and, as you can see, bees like A. platyparia vote the same way. If you plant some Swidas in your yard you are pretty much guaranteed to get one of the 4 Swiditarian Andrena in your yard too. Photo by Cole Cheng. ~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~ 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 We Are Made One with What We Touch and See We are resolved into the supreme air, We are made one with what we touch and see, With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair, With our young lives each spring impassioned tree Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change. - Oscar Wilde 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: www.extreme-macro.co.uk/ Art Photo Book: Bees: An Up-Close Look at Pollinators Around the World: www.amazon.com/Bees-Up-Close-Pollinators-Around-World/dp/... Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland: bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf Basic USGSBIML set up: www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY 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. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdmx_8zqvN4 Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/collections PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up: Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques: plus.google.com/events/c5569losvskrv2nu606ltof8odo or www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c15neFttoU Excellent Technical Form on Stacking: www.photomacrography.net/ Contact information: Sam Droege sdroege@usgs.gov 301 497 5840