Biological Observations, 2026 Edition

In 2024, I began using this html format to record images that represent my ongoing taxonomic work, as well as a range of biological subjects that capture my attention. Previous: The 2024 Edition and The 2025 Edition.

Click any image for a larger magnification.

Taxonomy projects

Crownvetch megachilids

Along the Water Street trail in Ypsilanti, there is a dense and extensive bloom of crownvetch. This is an invasive "weed" with real value for some pollinators. These include the bumblebees Bombus griseocollus, and B. impatiens, and at least 5 bees in the Megachilidae family, pictured here.

Wool carder bees, Anthidium oblangatum (above), A. manicatum (below).

Leafcutter, Megachile brevis

Leafcutter, Megachile rotundata

Leafcutter, Megachile centicularis - maybe. Fits in the Canadian Arthropod Megachile key.

As often with bees, the mandible is a key diagnostic.

The Ephemerals Project

With Shawn Severance, Washtenaw County Naturalist, I am organizing a study of pollinators of spring ephemerals (more info). We'll identify floral visitors, and look at how they are distributed among plant species. For most of April and May, I'll use this page for news of the ephemerals project, most recent info first.

June 10: See a summary of data for each partner organization: Washtenaw County, Legacy Land Conservancy, Friends of Greenview, Pittsfield Preserve, City of Ann Arbor. These each include a network diagram, like this one for insects by genus at Washtenaw County sites:

Geranium@Johnson

Heather at Johnson Preserve.

The cranesbill mining bee, a geranium specialist.

Parasitoid wasps.

We noticed tiny lady beetles (14-spotted) on geranium. I thought these were probably there to prey on aphids. We also saw another aphid predator, a brown lacewing. Then we picked up ants in our nets - probably tending the aphids. These ants were picked up in our nets. I wasn't surprised net

The Cuckoo Question

Cuckoo bees in the genus Nomada turn out to be super abundant, especially on geranium. Because they don't collect pollen, they don't help with pollination, and even hinder it as they consume nectar that would otherwise support effective pollinators. The diversity of Nomada is also surprising - I *think* we have 5 species to date.

The US expert on Nomad bees tells me that this one is not identifiable from photos. We can only say that it is in the "bidentate group." (bidentate = mandible with 2 points, evident in photo).

Nomada luteoloides.

Sphecodes sp, the only specimen observed to date. These are also cuckoo bees, in the sweat bee group halictidae.

May 4

On the only great weather day, we visited County Farm Park and Scio Woods. Notable:

Seven sites
Male carpenter bees, super abundant on redbud, and nowhere else.
Geranium specialist mining bee present at Scio, not at CFP (yet).
60 insect species identified to date
Nomad bees still abundant.
Pure green sweat bee is commonest geranium visitor (so far).

The head of a male carpenter bee, highlighting the simple eyes - ocelli - between the compound eyes.

Looking closer, A portion of the thousands of "eyes" that comprise the compound eye.

An ichneumonid, parasitic wasp collected from geranium. Many such wasps extend their lives with floral nectar.

This and photos at right: A nomad bee, one of two species we've found in abundance. These "cuckoo bees" parasitize the nests of other bees, especially Andrena.

You would like to think that with detailed images there would be enough info for an ID. But these bees are poorly understood, and notoriously variable in coloration, so difficult to ID.

As of May 1

We summarized findings to date in a zoom presentation - Link here. The 50 minute talk is about what we collected, and what our specimens tell us about the flowers and sites. This is followed by a discussion about the best ways to engage volunteers and the larger community. Our collection includes:

Seven sites
15 Plants sampled
~450 insects pinned
60 insect species identified to date

Photos here and to right: The bufflehead mason bee. A perfect mimic of a bumblee, which was the ID I initially gave it.

Looking closer, the greenish coloration is a typical mason bee trait. Then there are those pink things ...

... which are mites. This is not uncommon; some bee species have bodies designed to carry mites. But I had never seen this on a mason bee.

This gallery: Draper-Houston Preserve Apr 19

Bellwort

Dutchman's breeches

Blue cohosh

Redbud

Deadnettle

Buttercup

Spring beauty

Jack-in-the-pulpit

Strawberry

Dandelion (mining bee)

Toothwort

Rue anemone

Early geranium at Scio Woods, Apr 17

Spring beauty mining bee - pink pollen

Pollen collecting hairs on the underside of the bee, with pollen removed.

Horn-faced mason bee. The orange hairs under the abdomen are where this bee carries its pollen.

Apr 16: Eberwhite Woods is literally carpeted in blooming trout lily.

Don't need to collect beefly (above), or bumblebee, honeybee, or spring azure (pix at right).

We don't need to collect bumblbees - we'll assume these are Bombus impatiens.

Honeybees - easily ID'd

We'll assume tiny blue butterflies are spring azures.

Marshall Park

On April 13, spring beauty is in bloom, in considerable numbers. There are bloodroot flowers here and there.

The most common spring beauty visitor I saw was the beefly, Bombyliius major. These are parasites of bee nests.

A Nomad bee female. These are cuckoo bees, that lay their eggs in the nests of mining bees, where they feed on the pollen stores.

Male nomad bee. There are many species in the genus Nomada, and very few people that can reliably ID them to species. I am not among them.

Pioneer Woods

Apr 12 scouting report from Pioneer Woods - early flowers, and trout lily visitors.

The only spring beauty seen on Apr 12.

One of a few cut-leaf toothwort.

Sweat bee Augoprochlora pura. How do you know it is a female? Stinger.

Female mining bee, Andrena cf. dunningi. "cf." is term that says: looks like dunningi, but I could be wrong.

County Farm Park

At our first training session April 9, we practiced netting on a set of willows, which were buzzing with insects. Many were beyond the reach of nets, but we did capture 47 specimens, that included 15 species. Standouts: Andrena and Colletes inaequalis males.