---

To: beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com
From: David_r_smith@...
Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2007 09:49:27 -0600
Subject: Re: [beemonitoring] New Key to the bee genera of Eastern Canada

No comment from those of us in western North America

Dave Smith
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
323 N. Leroux St., Suite 101
Flagstaff, AZ  86001
(928) 226-0614 x 109
"Field data is the best cure for a precarious prediction"  Dave Rosgen

Dave Smith and other westerners,

Slowly but surely the western guides are being built one genus at a time.  I would love to have you try them out and give me feedback.:)

Kim Huntzinger
eTaxonomist
Western Bee Guide Developer - DiscoverLife.org
kimberly_huntzinger@...

---

To: beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com

From: David_r_smith@...

Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2007 09:49:27 -0600

Subject: Re: [beemonitoring] New Key to the bee genera of Eastern Canada

No comment from those of us in western North America

Dave Smith

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

323 N. Leroux St., Suite 101

Flagstaff, AZ  86001

(928) 226-0614 x 109

"Field data is the best cure for a precarious prediction"  Dave Rosgen

---

Windows Live Hotmail and Microsoft Office Outlook – together at last. Get it now!

I would be interested in western keys too.  Karen

On Wed, 3 Oct 2007, David Inouye wrote:

>
> Which genera are available now?
>
> At 12:02 PM 10/3/2007, you wrote:
>
>       Dave Smith and other westerners,
>
>       Slowly but surely the western guides are being built one
>       genus at a time.  I would love to have you try them out and
>       give me feedback.:)
>
>       Kim Huntzinger
>       eTaxonomist
>       Western Bee Guide Developer - DiscoverLife.org
>       kimberly_huntzinger@...
>
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
>             To: beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com
>             From: David_r_smith@...
>             Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2007 09:49:27 -0600
>             Subject: Re: [beemonitoring] New Key to the bee genera
>             of Eastern Canada
>
>
>             No comment from those of us in western North America
>
>             Dave Smith
>             U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
>             323 N. Leroux St., Suite 101
>             Flagstaff, AZ  86001
>             (928) 226-0614 x 109
>             "Field data is the best cure for a precarious
>             prediction"  Dave Rosgen
>
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
>       Windows Live Hotmail and Microsoft Office Outlook – together
>       at last. Get it now!
>
>
>

---

To: beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com
From: karen@...
Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2007 18:21:32 -0600
Subject: RE: [beemonitoring] New Key to the bee genera of Eastern Canada

I would be interested in western keys too. Karen

On Wed, 3 Oct 2007, David Inouye wrote:

>
> Which genera are available now?
>
> At 12:02 PM 10/3/2007, you wrote:
>
> Dave Smith and other westerners,
>
> Slowly but surely the western guides are being built one
> genus at a time. I would love to have you try them out and
> give me feedback.:)
>
> Kim Huntzinger
> eTaxonomist
> Western Bee Guide Developer - DiscoverLife.org
> kimberly_huntzinger@hotmail.com
>
>
> __________________________________________________________
> To: beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com
> From: David_r_smith@fws.gov
> Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2007 09:49:27 -0600
> Subject: Re: [beemonitoring] New Key to the bee genera
> of Eastern Canada
>
>
> No comment from those of us in western North America
>
> Dave Smith
> U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
> 323 N. Leroux St., Suite 101
> Flagstaff, AZ 86001
> (928) 226-0614 x 109
> "Field data is the best cure for a precarious
> prediction" Dave Rosgen
>
>
> __________________________________________________________
> Windows Live Hotmail and Microsoft Office Outlook – together
> at last. Get it now!
>
>
>

All:

Rebekah Nelson's lovely line drawings of bee body parts are now online at the Discoverlife bee page:

http://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?search=Apoidea

sam

Sam Droege  Sam_Droege@USGS.GOV                      
w 301-497-5840 h 301-390-7759 fax 301-497-5624
USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
BARC-EAST, BLDG 308, RM 124 10300 Balt. Ave., Beltsville, MD  20705
Http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov

In nature's infinite book of secrecy
A little I can read
Antony and Cleopatra - Shakespeare

All:

Rebekah Nelson's lovely line drawings of bee body parts are now online at the Discoverlife bee page:

http://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?search=Apoidea

sam

Sam Droege  Sam_Droege@...                     
w 301-497-5840 h 301-390-7759 fax 301-497-5624
USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
BARC-EAST, BLDG 308, RM 124 10300 Balt. Ave., Beltsville, MD  20705
Http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov

In nature's infinite book of secrecy
A little I can read
Antony and Cleopatra - Shakespeare

Sam,

This is terrrific. Please sign me up for the week. What a great
opportunity.

Thanks,

Erik Oberg
Acting Natural Resource
Management Specialist
George Washington
Memorial Parkway
703 289-2542 office
202 439-7328 cell
703 289-2546 fax




                       Sam Droege
                       <sdroege@...>        To:      
Beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com
                       Sent by:                  cc:       (bcc: Erik
Oberg/GWMP/NPS)
                       beemonitoring@yaho        Subject:  [beemonitoring]
Species Level Bee Identification Course - December
                       ogroups.com                10-14 2007


                       10/23/2007 10:01
                       AM
                       Please respond to
                       beemonitoring






All:

Rob Jean and I will again be hosting a bee identification workshop at USGS
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.  The dates for this Fall's workshop will
be December 10-14, 2007.  A flier with all the pertinent information is
attached and will be posted to the web site.  Similar to last year there is
no charge and it is on a first-come first serve basis.  The emphasis is on
learning to identify Eastern North American bees to species. There are
currently 8 slots open.

Email me if you have questions.

Thanks

sam



Sam Droege  Sam_Droege@...
w 301-497-5840 h 301-390-7759 fax 301-497-5624
USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
BARC-EAST, BLDG 308, RM 124 10300 Balt. Ave., Beltsville, MD  20705
Http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov

         The Tuft of Flowers

I went to turn the grass once after one
Who mowed it in the dew before the sun.

The dew was gone that made his blade so keen
Before I came to view the levelled scene.

I looked for him behind an isle of trees;
I listened for his whetstone on the breeze.

But he had gone his way, the grass all mown,
And I must be, as he had been,—alone,

As all must be,' I said within my heart,
Whether they work together or apart.'

But as I said it, swift there passed me by
On noiseless wing a 'wildered butterfly,

Seeking with memories grown dim o'er night
Some resting flower of yesterday's delight.

And once I marked his flight go round and round,
As where some flower lay withering on the ground.

And then he flew as far as eye could see,
And then on tremulous wing came back to me.

I thought of questions that have no reply,
And would have turned to toss the grass to dry;

But he turned first, and led my eye to look
At a tall tuft of flowers beside a brook,

A leaping tongue of bloom the scythe had spared
Beside a reedy brook the scythe had bared.

I left my place to know them by their name,
Finding them butterfly weed when I came.

The mower in the dew had loved them thus,
By leaving them to flourish, not for us,

Nor yet to draw one thought of ours to him.
But from sheer morning gladness at the brim.

The butterfly and I had lit upon,
Nevertheless, a message from the dawn,

That made me hear the wakening birds around,
And hear his long scythe whispering to the ground,

And feel a spirit kindred to my own;
So that henceforth I worked no more alone;

But glad with him, I worked as with his aid,
And weary, sought at noon with him the shade;

And dreaming, as it were, held brotherly speech
With one whose thought I had not hoped to reach.

Men work together,' I told him from the heart,
Whether they work together or apart.'

       - Robert Frost


  (See attached file: Fall 2007 Workshop Daily Schedule.doc)

Hi Sam,
    I would like to attend the bee id workshop.  Is it ok, since I
attended the one in April?  Work on the Boston Harbor Islands went well
this year, I'll be spending a good amount of time working on those bees
this winter.  Hope you had a good field season.
Best,
Sean


Sam Droege wrote:


>All:
>
>Rob Jean and I will again be hosting a bee identification workshop at
USGS
>Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.  The dates for this Fall's workshop
>will be December 10-14, 2007.  A flier with all the pertinent
information
>is attached and will be posted to the web site.  Similar to last year
>there is no charge and it is on a first-come first serve basis.  The
>emphasis is on learning to identify Eastern North American bees to
>species. There are currently 8 slots open.
>
>Email me if you have questions.
>
>Thanks
>
>sam
>
>
>
>Sam Droege  Sam_Droege@...
>w 301-497-5840 h 301-390-7759 fax 301-497-5624
>USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
>BARC-EAST, BLDG 308, RM 124 10300 Balt. Ave., Beltsville, MD  20705
>Http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov
>
>        The Tuft of Flowers
>
>I went to turn the grass once after one
>Who mowed it in the dew before the sun.
>
>The dew was gone that made his blade so keen
>Before I came to view the levelled scene.
>
>I looked for him behind an isle of trees;
>I listened for his whetstone on the breeze.
>
>But he had gone his way, the grass all mown,
>And I must be, as he had been,?alone,
>
>As all must be,' I said within my heart,
>Whether they work together or apart.'
>
>But as I said it, swift there passed me by
>On noiseless wing a 'wildered butterfly,
>
>Seeking with memories grown dim o'er night
>Some resting flower of yesterday's delight.
>
>And once I marked his flight go round and round,
>As where some flower lay withering on the ground.
>
>And then he flew as far as eye could see,
>And then on tremulous wing came back to me.
>
>I thought of questions that have no reply,
>And would have turned to toss the grass to dry;
>
>But he turned first, and led my eye to look
>At a tall tuft of flowers beside a brook,
>
>A leaping tongue of bloom the scythe had spared
>Beside a reedy brook the scythe had bared.
>
>I left my place to know them by their name,
>Finding them butterfly weed when I came.
>
>The mower in the dew had loved them thus,
>By leaving them to flourish, not for us,
>
>Nor yet to draw one thought of ours to him.
>But from sheer morning gladness at the brim.
>
>The butterfly and I had lit upon,
>Nevertheless, a message from the dawn,
>
>That made me hear the wakening birds around,
>And hear his long scythe whispering to the ground,
>
>And feel a spirit kindred to my own;
>So that henceforth I worked no more alone;
>
>But glad with him, I worked as with his aid,
>And weary, sought at noon with him the shade;
>
>And dreaming, as it were, held brotherly speech
>With one whose thought I had not hoped to reach.
>
>Men work together,' I told him from the heart,
>Whether they work together or apart.'
>
>      - Robert Frost


------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                             Name: Fall 2007 Workshop
Daily Schedule.doc
                                             Type:
application/octet-stream
                                             Encoding: BASE64

Good afternoon Sam:
This is German I I would like to attend to the Native bee Identification
Workshop, please sign me in.
Regards,
German

FYI for those who might be interested in attending and will be in the Delaware area in January

<<Bees and Pollination Workshop.doc>>

Heather Harmon
Entomologist

Delaware Department of Agriculture

Plant Industries

2320 S. DuPont Highway Dover, DE 19901

302-698-4588

All:

The Guide to the Eastern North American Bee Genera:

http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Bee_genera

Now has a link to the appropriate species guides.  Just click on the name of the genus and the guide link shows up at the top under the "IDNature Guides" section.

sam

Sam Droege  Sam_Droege@USGS.GOV                      
w 301-497-5840 h 301-390-7759 fax 301-497-5624
USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
BARC-EAST, BLDG 308, RM 124 10300 Balt. Ave., Beltsville, MD  20705
Http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov
                                             
The murmuring of bees has ceased;
But murmuring of some
Posterior, prophetic,
Has simultaneous come,--

The lower metres of the year,
When nature's laugh is done,--
The Revelations of the book
Whose Genesis is June.
 -Emily Dickinson

---

To: beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com
From: priscillatitus@...
Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:29:27 -0800
Subject: Re: [beemonitoring] Bee Genera Online Guide Now With Links to Species Guides

Hi Sam,
Just to let you know, your hyperlink took me to a very strange website (http://life.org), due I presume to a space my email inserted between "discover and life" in the message. Not sure if the others are having a similar problem.
Priscilla
ps. I love the poems!

I googled and found:
http://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?search=Apoidea

Sam Droege <sdroege@usgs.gov> wrote:

All:

The Guide to the Eastern North American Bee Genera:

http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Bee_genera

Now has a link to the appropriate species guides.  Just click on the name of the genus and the guide link shows up at the top under the "IDNature Guides" section.

sam

Sam Droege  Sam_Droege@USGS.GOV                      
w 301-497-5840 h 301-390-7759 fax 301-497-5624
USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
BARC-EAST, BLDG 308, RM 124 10300 Balt. Ave., Beltsville, MD  20705
Http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov
                                             
The murmuring of bees has ceased;
But murmuring of some
Posterior, prophetic,
Has simultaneous come,--

The lower metres of the year,
When nature's laugh is done,--
The Revelations of the book
Whose Genesis is June.
 -Emily Dickinson

---

Be a better pen pal. Text or chat with friends inside Yahoo! Mail. See how.

Members,
 
          When I was on the Discover Life website, I tried to key out 2 species of Bumble Bee which I had seen nectaring on catnip in my yard a couple years ago. I didn't know what characters were important, so I didn't write down the right information. One of the things I did write down was that one had a full pollen sac (I think this is technically called a corbicula) and the other had none visible at all. I thought the one without a pollen sac might be in the genus Psithyris which contains Cuckoo Bumble Bees. While the key accounted for a number of unnamed species in the genus (?) Asilidae (an odd name for a genus which I'm assuming is in the Dipteran family Bombylliidae), as well as the bee genera Bombus, Ceratina and Xylocopa, it didn't include the genus Psithyris. Was there a name change, was it an oversight, aren't members of this genus within the range of the key! ! ?
 
                                                  Joe Metzger

Joe:  Recent studies have shown that recognizing
Psithyrus at the generic level renders Bombus
paraphyletic.  In modern classifications,  Psithyrus
is now just one of the many subgenera of Bombus.


Jack  Neff


Members,

           When I was on theDiscover Life website, I
tried to key out 2 species of Bumble Bee which Ihad
seen nectaring on catnip in my yard a couple years
ago. I didn't knowwhat characters were important, so I
didn't write down the rightinformation. One of the
things I did write down was that one had a fullpollen
sac (I think this is technically called a corbicula)
and the otherhad none visible at all. I thought the
one without a pollen sac might bein the genus
Psithyris which contains Cuckoo Bumble Bees. Whilethe
key accounted for a number of unnamed species in the
genus (?)Asilidae (an odd name for a genus which I'm
assuming is in theDipteran family Bombylliidae), as
well as the bee generaBombus, Ceratina and Xylocopa,
it didn't include thegenus Psithyris. Was there a name
change, was it an oversight,aren't members of this
genus within the range of the key! ! ?

                                                  Joe
Metzger





John L. Neff
Central Texas Melittological Institute
7307 Running Rope
Austin,TX  78731  USA
512-345-7219


      
________________________________________________________________________________\
____
Be a better pen pal.
Text or chat with friends inside Yahoo! Mail. See how. 
http://overview.mail.yahoo.com/

There is an online key to the Bombus of the world:

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/projects/bombus/lucid/index.html

Jason
--
PhD Candidate
Department of Biology
York University
Toronto, Ontario, Canada


Quoting beeguild@...:

>
> Joe:
>
> You likely used the general public bumblebee guide instead of the Bombus
> guide:
>
> _http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Bombus_
> (http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Bombus)
>
> The Bombus guide, as Jack notes, contains all the eastern Bumblebee  species,
> including the parasitic members and is up to date taxonomically.   In keeping
> with that theme, Claudia Ratti is down here in our lab starting the  process
> of expanding the Bombus guide to include all species north of  Mexico....that
> process should take several weeks and we will let folks know when  it is
> complete.
>
> sam
>
> In a message dated 11/27/2007 12:40:22 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
> jlnatctmi@... writes:
>
>
> Joe: Recent studies have shown that recognizing
> Psithyrus at the  generic level renders Bombus
> paraphyletic. In modern classifications,  Psithyrus
> is now just one of the many subgenera of Bombus.
>
> Jack  Neff
>
> Members,
>
> When I was on theDiscover Life website, I
> tried  to key out 2 species of Bumble Bee which Ihad
> seen nectaring on catnip in  my yard a couple years
> ago. I didn't knowwhat characters were important, so  I
> didn't write down the rightinformation. One of the
> things I did write  down was that one had a fullpollen
> sac (I think this is technically called  a corbicula)
> and the otherhad none visible at all. I thought the
> one  without a pollen sac might bein the genus
> Psithyris which contains Cuckoo  Bumble Bees. Whilethe
> key accounted for a number of unnamed species in  the
> genus (?)Asilidae (an odd name for a genus which I'm
> assuming is in  theDipteran family Bombylliidae)assu
> well as the bee generaBombus,  Ceratina and Xylocopa,
> it didn't include thegenus Psithyris. Was there a  name
> change, was it an oversight,aren'change, was it an
> genus  within the range of the key! ! ?
>
> Joe
> Metzger
>
> John L.  Neff
> Central Texas Melittological Institute
> 7307 Running  Rope
> Austin,TX 78731  USA
> 512-345-7219
>
> __________________________________________________________
> Be  a better pen pal.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> **************************************Check out AOL's list of 2007's hottest
> products.
> (http://money.aol.com/special/hot-products-2007?NCID=aoltop00030000000001)
>

-----Original Message-----
From: beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com [mailto:beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of David Inouye
Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 9:30 AM
To: beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [beemonitoring] Bumble Bees

Joe - males don't have corbiculae, so if you were observing bees after late summer you might have seen males. 

David Inouye

At 06:06 AM 11/27/2007, you wrote:

Members,
 
          When I was on the Discover Life website, I tried to key out 2 species of Bumble Bee which I had seen nectaring on catnip in my yard a couple years ago. I didn't know what characters were important, so I didn't write down the right information. One of the things I did write down was that one had a full pollen sac (I think this is technically called a corbicula) and the other had none visible at all. I thought the one without a pollen sac might be in the genus Psithyris which contains Cuckoo Bumble Bees. While the key accounted for a number of unnamed species in the genus (?) Asilidae (an odd name for a genus which I'm assuming is in the Dipteran family Bombylliidae), as well as the bee genera Bombus, Ceratina and Xylocopa, it didn't include the genus Psithyris. Was there a name change, was it an oversight, aren't members of this genus within the range of the key! ! ?
 
                                                  Joe Metzger

Thanks, Sam:

Very interesting, especially for me who just last November spent a few
days at the Coweeta Hydrologic Lab in the mountains outside of Dillard.

We flew into Asheville, had lunch at the Biltmore, and drove into the
field station in a couple of hours. Lots of nice rooms and separate
beds, lots of fast food places along the highway, etc. AND the USDA
National Forest has preserved the wildness area just as it was in the
1920s.

Cheers

F. Christian Thompson
Systematic Entomology Lab., ARS, USDA
c/o Smithsonian Institution MRC-0169
PO Box 37012
Washington, D. C. 20013-7012
(202) 382-1800 voice
(202) 786-9422 fax
www.diptera.org Diptera Website

-----Original Message-----
From: beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Sam Droege
Sent: Friday, January 04, 2008 11:25 AM
To: beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [beemonitoring] A collecting trip to the Highlands of NC in
1920 with Ted Mitchell


All:

Below is a document just passed on to me by Janet Mitchell who is the
wife of Ted Mitchell's only son (both now deceased).   For those of you
who don't know, Ted wrote the 2 volume set of the Bees of the Eastern
United States.  I have been trying to locate Ted's field notes, but at
this point have to believe that these have unfortunately been destroyed.
Janet had a few documents saved at her home and passed copies on to me.
I thought this one would be of general interest and one of my interns,
Marian Sackey graciously typed it up.  If anyone is interested I also
have his notes on his collecting trips to Puerto Rico and Trinidad in 62
and 63 and can mail you copies.

sam


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Highlands- 1920
By Theodore B. Mitchell
Entomologist


         My next objective after Marion was Highlands, in Macon County,
just north of the Georgia state line. To reach there, according to my
travel directions, I had to get to Dillard, Georgia 3 or 4 miles south
of the North Carolina line. Mail destined for Highlands was routed to
Dillard, and was carried up to the town by a rural delivery mail
carrier,  by car, if possible, by mule if not. Just what route I used
getting to Dillard, I don't remember, but it must have been through the
South Carolina counties bordering North Carolina, and into North Georgia
to Dillard.
         I reached Dillard in the late afternoon (my error- evening). I
had learned that everything after 12 noon is evening in these parts.
Well, it must have been some time between 3 and 6 p.m. My directions
suggested a certain hotel, which turned out to be a private home where
transients were entertained. I had to stay over night, to catch a ride
with the mail carrier the next day.
         So I registered, was assigned a room, and soon after had supper
(at least that is what I called it, but maybe it was dinner to my
hosts). I don't remember much about it, for other happenings over rode
that detail.
         What I remember is a couple of attractive young ladies, with
their mother, with whom I chatted after the meal was over. They were
from Alabama, had been up in Highlands on vacation and were on their way
home. Much of our conversation was concerned with our differences, and
we had a wonderful time poking fun at each other's pronunciation of
various words, and comparing our back-home life styles. One of them
inquired- do you Yankees eat pie for breakfast, like I have been told?
Well, that was a new one for me. I replied, "I can't speak for all of
us, but I have never had a piece of pie for breakfast in my life." That
wasn't to say I disapproved, for it sounded like a good idea to me,
especially in consideration of the insatiable appetite I could develop,
up in those cool mountains, after sweltering in the hot and humid summer
weather around Raleigh.
         The next day I had to spend the morning in Dillard, for the mail
carrier didn't start until after lunch. We finally got started, early in
the afternoon, behind a pair of mules. He said he had a car about half
way up, and we would put the mules in a barn at that spot, transfer the
mail to the car and make better time then.
         That was encouraging, but it didn't work out that way at all. We
were crossing a bridge (sort of a home made affair) and one of the
wheels slipped into a crack. The boards were laid lengthwise instead of
across the bridge. It took about half an hour to get out of that
predicament, and it was getting dark, and not far from the bridge we got
stuck in the mud on a slope, and the car just couldn't pull through the
mire. A couple of men showed up and they tried to help but nothing
worked. Finally they gave up, saying, "You'll just have to stay with us
till morning." We certainly had no basis for disagreement, and
appreciated the invitation, following them along a trial, in the dark,
to their shack. It had two rooms, the front rooms with two double beds,
the back room with a stove, a table and some chairs. There was a woman
and several children, which I never got counted.
         There was a story, current at that time, abut a couple of
traveling men who found themselves in circumstances very similar to
ours. The chief difference was the presence of only one double bed. The
men protested that they had better try to find some other quarters, but
were assured that the problem could be easily solved. So the two
smallest kids were put in the bed, and soon fell asleep. Then some
pillows and blankets were put in a corner of the room, and the two
children were laid in the corner. The two next larger of the brood then
were put to bed, fell asleep, and ended up in the corner, until all the
children were taken care of. Then the two men were told they could have
the bed. But "where are you gong to sleep?" they inquired. "Oh, we'll
get along all right; don't worry about us." So they went to bed- and,
you guessed it. They woke next morning in the corner with the kids.
         Well, that story was running through my mind. Of course, there
were two beds, but that was hardly enough. Where the woman and the
children slept, I do not know. They disappeared, and the mail carrier
and I had one bed, and the two men, the other, I guess they had some
nearby neighbors, or another sack. But the whole affair impressed me.
Southern hospitality was no myth.
         The next morning, with some daylight, and possibly a little
drying out of the mud, we finally made it up that hill, and got into
Highlands fairly early. So that was my introduction to Highlands.
         I registered at the Smith House, a country-style hotel, right in
the center of town. It was a cross-road which meant that there were four
directions, east and west, and north and south. Two of them however were
local (streets), so there was one way in and one way out. On one of
these, a block of two from the center, was the town hall, and I found
that every Friday night (or was it Saturday?) they had square dances
with country music. I guess that was just during the summer.
         In the opposite direction the street led up a slope, to a trail
up to the top of Mt. Satulah, practically in the town. Elevation of the
town is about 3800 ft., and the top of Satulah somewhat over 5000. So it
was quite a climb. Another of the streets led to the edge of the plateau
on which Highlands sits, and over a winding road, down into Horse Cove,
a valley about five hundred to a thousand feet below.
         As I recall it, I had two places to visit, one down in Horse
Cove, and the other on the other side of town toward the Georgia line,
on a south-facing slope. I forgot how I got to these places that first
summer. Maybe I found someone with a car that could be hired to take me.
But I remember hiking out to the second one, in one of those visits, to
make the inspection. It was my initiation to the extreme uncertainties
of the weather in that area. I went in my shirt sleeves, without a
raincoat, but with my bug net, and before I had gone a mile, on the
trail through the woods, a sudden shower burst on me. I think I had
heard some rumbles in the distance, but this must have blown up from
Georgia, and with the rise in elevation, let loose a torrent of cold
rain and lightning that hit so close I could hear it sizzle before the
bolt came. I didn't seek shelter under a tree and I got soaked through.
The rain was ice cold. Well, it didn't last but a few minutes, and after
it passed, and the sum came out, I warmed up somewhat, and by the time I
reached my destination, was about dry again.
         In spite of such experiences, I fell in love with the place.
Rhododendrum thickets covered much of the area, especially along the
water courses, and there were trails to various scenic spots, past
outcroppings of rock, where garnets and various other interesting rocks
could be found; and the insects I collected were interesting, in that
they were mostly species that inhabited New England and Canada. Along
the North Carolina coast, conversely, the species are more nearly
related to those in Florida and the Gulf Coast states to the west.
         So after a few days in Highlands, learning the area and doing
considerable general collecting, I hitched a ride with the mail carrier
back down to Dillard, catching a train that afternoon (pardon me),
evening, to Franklin, the county seat of Macon County. According to my
travel directions, it was possible to arrange passage by car from
Franklin north to Sylva, a town on the railroad connecting Asheville
with Murphy, in Clay County, at the western tip of the state. I believe
the limit was four passengers; Franklin at 5 a.m., have breakfast.
         According to the schedule, we would leave at a farm house on the
way, and were due to reach Sylva by noon. So I made the arrangements at
the Hotel in Franklin as soon as I arrived, and luckily there was still
room for me in the car.
         Next morning I was called about 4:30, and with the other two or
three passengers, started out ( I forgot that detail ) and after a
couple of hours ( the road was not what you could call a fast one). We
arrived at the farm where breakfast would be served. Well, that was some
breakfast. I believe it was the biggest breakfast I ever ate. The
two-hour drive, through the bracing air and clearing mists had enhanced
my appetite, which really didn't need enhancing. So we had fried eggs,
grits with red eye gravy, country ham, fried chicken, hot biscuits, and
ended up (believe it or not) with apple pie. So now you know where I got
the idea for the title of this account. I had actually had pie for
breakfast.
         After the meal was over we started out again. We had to cross
Mt. Cowee to reach the valley on its north side where Sylva is located.
It was quite a climb, as I recall it, but easy going down the other
side, until we reached the valley floor. There had been plenty of rain
down there, and the road was deeply rutted, the ruts filled with soupy
mud, and rocks underneath that couldn't be seen, nor avoided. I was in
danger of losing that big breakfast, but reached Sylva just in time.

Ela, Bryson City, Cherokee, Oconoluftee Riv., Judson

         I forget whether I caught a train westbound that afternoon for
Bryson City, or if I had to spend the night in Sylva. I think it was in
Sylva that I hired a man to drive me out to the nursery, probably that
same day, which suggests that I stayed over night. That really isn't too
important, but my memory chiefly concerns the man who was driving. After
we had gotten well on our way, in our conversation the fact came out
that he was on ex-deputy sheriff, and (about everyone we passed) he had
some comment to make- i.e. "We never could catch him," or "He had a big
operation." I began to get a little nervous, wondering if someone would
take a pot shot at us, or possibly think I was a federal agent, up there
to do no one any good. My fears proved to be groundless, however, and we
made it safely back to town after I made the inspection.
         I stayed in Bryson City that night, and the next morning
back-tracked to Ela, and up a spur of the railroad to the Cherokee
Indian Reservation. That community lay along the banks of the Oconolufty
River.

Greetings,

	 For those who might be interested, I am organizing an informal one day
gathering of individuals interested in sharpening their bee
identifications skills.  It is scheduled to take place on Jan. 26th in
Groton, Massachusetts. The meeting will be a chance to share expertise,
resources and enthusiasm, meet other people from the northeast who have
similar interests, and to trade bees with other folks who are also working
on building their own reference collections.  If you are interested, have
questions, or want further details feel free to contact me.

Michael Veit
Lawrence Academy
1 Powderhouse Road
Groton, MA 01450
phone: 978-433-5768
email: mveit@...