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Sunflower bee on coneflower        Images © Mark A. Chappell

This is most probably a sunflower bee (Svastra obliqua), but I'm not 100% certain of the identification. Large numbers of these big bees were feeding on pollen and nectar in coneflowers on a hot, humid early summer day.   The photos were taken on the Konza Prairie in northeastern Kansas.

  • Canon 40D, Tamron 180 mm macro lens, fill-in flash (2009)