Epeolus howardi, back, Caroline Co., MD
Rare, Rare, Rare. This Epeolus howardi, a nest parasite of one of the Cellophane Bees in the genus Colletes. Which species of Colletes, you ask, as is more often the case than not ... we don't know. This bee has only been collected a handful of times in the Mid-Atlantic states and that is about all we know. Well actually we do know that each of the sites we are aware of are very sandy....so the Colletes much also like sand. More people looking, that is what we need. Collected by Steve Westre in a lovely sand field in Caroline County, Maryland. Photography by Anders Croft...who needs to trim his exposure a bit.
Beauty is truth, truth beauty - that is all
Ye know on earth and all ye need to know
" Ode on a Grecian Urn"
John Keats. Original public domain image from Flickr