| Here's a wasp that seems to give new meaning to the term thread-waisted. I saw this fine example of Eremnophila aureonatata while it was sipping nectar from a summersweet blossom (Clethra ainifolia) in a park in southern New Jersey. It's a solitary wasp, and a hunter at times. When it is time to reproduce, females of this species prepare a burrow for their eggs and then capture and sting a caterpillar, paralyzing it. You can sometimes see one dragging a fat caterpillar across the ground. The unfortunate caterpillar gets stuffed into the nest for the larvae to feed upon as they grow. Unlucky caterpillar. Beautiful wasp. |
Julie, I look forward to your blog. I enjoy how you find magnificent nature stories in heavily populated places. I'm staying in Westampton, NJ (between the turnpike and mono crop soybean fields) and visiting in-laws in Browns Mills. Do you have favorite places in Burlington County to recommend?
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