Pbenjay's Blog

Well not really because he isn’t even black after all.  The little creature in question is actually a purple blue iridescent.  Murray has been out and about and ventured to Roosevelt Island which really is an island off the island of Manhattan.  He came across some great gardens and took fabulous photos of yellow jackets, flowers, bees, hornets and wasps.  Today we are all about the Great Black Wasp aka Sphex Pensylvanicus.

The great black wasp lives across most of North America, the larvae feed on living insects that the female paralyzes and brings to the underground nest.  Wicked huh? Why is always the female that does the dirty work and makes sure everyone is fed??  The following is from Wikipedia:

Adult females of S. pensylvanicus build an underground nest which they provision with various orthopteran insects,^[6] particularly of the genera Microcentrum, Amblycorypha and Scudderia.^[3] Prey are stung three times, once in the neck and twice in the thorax, and are paralyzed by the wasp’s sting, although they can survive for weeks.^[1] The prey are then carried to the nest. While collecting their prey, the females are vulnerable to kleptoparasitism, in which birds, including the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) and the gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis), steal the prey that the wasp has collected.^[6]

As you can see, Mother Nature has provided a food chain for all God’s little creatures – I wonder who eats the wasp?

LOOK at this tiny little creature!!!!

"Pollinating is my life"

Hanging On With One Leg

Look closely to see the wasp in action

Great profile!

"And now a little from this flower"

The Great Black Wasp

All photos are courtesy of Murray Head

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