Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

Pollinating Wasps

Wasps don’t get much credit for pollinating flowers, but there’s no escaping the pollination-reach of Spotted Horse Mint (Monarda punctata) A Four-toothed Mason Wasp (Monobia quadridens), above, shows pollen on wings, thorax, and even some of the abdomen.

Great Black Digger Wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus). When I first saw one of these flitting rapidly between these flowers, I thought it was white on the thorax. But that’s all pollen.

Katydid Wasp (Sphex nudus). First I’ve seen. Great Black and Great Golden are much more common here.

Here’s a Great Golden Digger Wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus).

mthew

2 responses to “Pollinating Wasps”

  1. Chuck McAlexander

    Since I moved to NYC in 1980 I have seen exactly one katydid! What does a katydid wasp do in such a paucity of katydids? I assume they use what few they can find for egg laying and feeding larvae upon hatching, but how can such scarcity support a vital population?

    Reply
    1. mthew

      They’re out there. Twenty species in NYC on iNaturalist https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=674&taxon_id=48124

      Reply

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