HALITCID BEE/PINELAND HELIOTROPE Halictid Bee (Agapostemon splendens) on yellow Pineland Heliotrope (Heliotropium polyphyllum) Caption by Mark Deyrup: With his warning coloration on display, one of the green halictid bees (this is Agapostemon spendens) drinks from a Pineland Heliotrope (Heliotropium polyphyllum). There are several genera and about 10 species of these solitary (non-social) metallic green bees in Florida, and the group appears to be important in pollination of many native plants. This species differs from the others in having black and yellow abdominal stripes, which occur only in the male. Why are these males so different from the females, when the other Florida species have identical males and females? Nobody knows.

These images were exhibited in three venues in Pinellas County in 2006 and 2007. They are available as framed or unframed prints. See the links below for prices. Other sizes are available in some cases, please inquire if interested. All the images were taken in my suburban yard (less than 1/4 acre) over three years time (2005-2007). They show some of the beauty and diversity that can be found in a landscape planted with Florida native plants.

LINK TO FRAMED IMAGE PRICES: http://cgstudios.smugmug.com/gallery/1466565/1/109333535/Original

LINK TO UNFRAMED IMAGE PRICES: http://cgstudios.smugmug.com/gallery/1466565/1/109333544/Original

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Christina Evans (cgstudios) > TALL ROSINWEED/HALICTID BEE

Tall Rosinweed (Silphium spp.) visited by a Halictid Bee
Also called Starry Rosinweed, this sunflower-like native attracts many of the metallic green bees and on this day, an absolutely perfect flower under high overcast skies attracted me as well.

Christina Evans (cgstudios) > HOODED WARBLER

Male Hooded Warbler with Moth Larva
This photo illustrates the need to eliminate the use of pesticides for a wildlife-friendly yard.
A fine-looking male Hooded Warbler spent three days foraging in the leaf litter in the backyard during spring migration. He nabbed a moth larva and very kindly jumped up on a birdbath at close range. I managed one shot before his snack was gobbled up.
Since I got rid of all the lawn in the backyard, these birds, as well as ovenbirds and waterthrushes, forage in the open beneath the tree canopy where they are easy to watch from our windows.

Christina Evans (cgstudios) > HONEY BEE/FLATWOODS PLUM

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) on Flatwoods Plum Blossoms (Prunus umbellata)
Flatwoods Plum is not only beautiful in bloom, but an excellent wildlife plant.

Caption by Mark Deyrup:
Here an imported Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) collects pollen from plum blossoms. Her pollen baskets on her hind legs, the right one can be seen here, are almost full. This bee may have had help finding these flowers. Honey Bees are famous for their ability to communicate the position of a patch of flowers to their hive-mates. When first discovered, this communication system seemed so unlikely that it was met with considerable incredulity. This Honey Bee “language” is one reason why these bees are such efficient foragers, and there is some concern that they might out-compete and displace native species. There is no clear evidence that this is happening, and such evidence would be difficult to collect.

Christina Evans (cgstudios) > SKYFLOWER

Skyflower (Hydrolea corymbosa)
I adore blue flowers. Sometimes instead of focusing in on details, it is nice to open the camera aperture and try to capture the essence of such a pretty thing.

Christina Evans (cgstudios) > CASSIUS BLUE/SILKGRASS

Cassius Blue (Leptotes cassius theonus) nectaring on Narrowleaf Silkgrass (Pityopsis graminifolia)
Small, pretty Cassius Blues can be found in my yard most of the summer and into fall, usually in sunny areas. The males are brilliant blue on the top side, something I've usually only seen during flight.

Christina Evans (cgstudios) > HALITCID BEE/PINELAND HELIOTROPE

Halictid Bee (Agapostemon splendens) on yellow Pineland Heliotrope (Heliotropium polyphyllum)
Caption by Mark Deyrup:
With his warning coloration on display, one of the green halictid bees (this is Agapostemon spendens) drinks from a Pineland Heliotrope (Heliotropium polyphyllum). There are several genera and about 10 species of these solitary (non-social) metallic green bees in Florida, and the group appears to be important in pollination of many native plants. This species differs from the others in having black and yellow abdominal stripes, which occur only in the male. Why are these males so different from the females, when the other Florida species have identical males and females? Nobody knows.

Christina Evans (cgstudios) > DAISY FLEABANE
Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron spp.)

This petite wildflower gets its name due to a resemblance to the common daisies in the Chrysanthemum family, though its flowers are much smaller. It was thought at one time that its dried flowers repelled fleas.
The little flowers are quite attractive to a large number of insect pollinators. They make up for their small size by producing large numbers of flowers, especially in early spring.

HALITCID BEE/PINELAND HELIOTROPE

Halictid Bee (Agapostemon splendens) on yellow Pineland Heliotrope (Heliotropium polyphyllum)
Caption by Mark Deyrup:
With his warning coloration on display, one of the green halictid bees (this is Agapostemon spendens) drinks from a Pineland Heliotrope (Heliotropium polyphyllum). There are several genera and about 10 species of these solitary (non-social) metallic green bees in Florida, and the group appears to be important in pollination of many native plants. This species differs from the others in having black and yellow abdominal stripes, which occur only in the male. Why are these males so different from the females, when the other Florida species have identical males and females? Nobody knows.