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.”

Mountain Mint Wasps Continued

Four-toothed Mason Was/Monobia quadridens. Prey: small moth caterpillars.

Great Black Digger Wasp/Sphex pensylvanicus. Katydids.

Great Golden Digger Wasp/Sphex ichneumoneus. Katydids.

Parker’s Thread-waisted Wasp/Prionyx parkeri. Grasshoppers.

Yellow-legged Mud-dauber Wasp/Sceliphron caementarium. Spiders.

Hump-backed Beowulf/Philanthus gibbosus. Ground-nesting bees.

Hidalgo Mason Wasp/Euodynerus hidalgo. Moth caterpillars.

Ammophila pictipennis. Moth and skipper caterpillars.

Noble Scold Wasp/Scolia nobilitata. Scarab beetle larvae.

mthew

2 responses to “Mountain Mint Wasps Continued”

  1. elwnyc

    Love the wasp photos, Matthew. They are one of my favorite “bugs.” I try to get their pictures, but I haven’t been as successful as you. I notice that many are fairly constantly in motion, and I wonder if it’s because they are the hunt for prey rather than nectar.

    And just to share, I’m including a couple I took a couple of weeks ago in Arizona, a yellow paper wasp (Polistes flavus).

    Elizabeth White

    Reply
    1. mthew

      Yes, they can be extraordinarily fast, barely landing as they patrol. Sometimes you surprise them grooming, in which case they’re generally perching on a leaf etc. for a while.

      Reply

Leave a comment