Cuckoo Bee
This Cuckoo Bee (Nomada sp, Ruficornis Group) is a very interesting subject. As you can see they have a very showy outward appearance, but come from a very basic lineage, thus why they have such a wasp-like appearance. While it is difficult to identify to species these Cuckoo Bees are fascinating to observe and around this time of year. They don’t collect pollen, but rather parasitize other bees, by laying their eggs in Mining Bee nests. Photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Connecticut for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute...
Read MoreA naturalist in a new setting
I recently moved from the coastline of Connecticut to an inland location. I had moved in a little bit too late in the evening to explore my new surroundings but was eager to poke around the next day. My first night as I was trying to sleep I started hearing Gray Treefrogs (Hyla versicolor) calling. This was a pleasant surprise after spending the last two years listening to American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) and other migrating shorebirds flying over. The next morning I set out to find one of the aforementioned calling frogs. It didn’t take long till I saw ideal real estate for...
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