Bees, up close and personal

Detailed photos help amateurs and experts alike identify and monitor species

face of Augochloropsis anonyma

LOOK AT BEE  The shiny face of Augochloropsis anonyma shows through in stunning detail in this image, one of more than 2,000 photos in an online gallery aimed at helping people identify bees.

S. Droege/USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

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It’s easy to miss the shiny face of Augochloropsis anonyma without a microscope — the bee grows to only about 8 millimeters long.