The marshlands of Muddlety Creek are alive with tiny wings as the cloud softened light spreads through the landscape. And what better place to find the swamp milkweed than a swamp? Although we normally associate milkweed with the Monarch and Viceroy Butterflies it’s sweet effervescence draws in many pollinators. To most of us the idea of a wasp being beneficial can seem a little strange at first. We tend to imagine the paper wasp that builds its nest on our houses and develops an attitude problem as it gets “broody” throughout the summer. But that’s actually not the majority of wasp species. And especially not true for the Great Golden Digger Wasp. In fact the male Golden Digger doesn’t even have a stinger. They do get a little territorial and will bluff you if you pressure them but in general this species is pretty passive.
For the most part this wasp would rather spend the day sipping nectar. The Golden Digger Wasp has fur which is pretty unique among wasps and actually improves the chances of carrying pollen between flowers. However, unlike honeybees and solitary bees she doesn’t feed pollen or nectar to her babies. Instead she’ll feed them crickets and katydids. As the name implies she digs several holes and then goes on the hunt for crickets and katydids. The female is the only one that has a sting and it’s a special neurotoxin that paralyzes her prey. She’ll actually use her antenna like tentacles to help carry the paralyzed insect back to a hole. But before she can drag the victim into her tunnel she has to inspect the tunnel and make sure that it’s a perfect nursery for her baby. In fact science has discovered that she’s a little OCD about this. In experiments scientists discovered that if they moved her paralyzed victim while she’s in the tunnel that she’ll drag it back to the place where she left it and start her inspection all over again. In each experiment with different female Digger Wasps they never failed to start over in this way.
Everything has to be perfect because once she lays a single egg on her prey she closes the tunnel and never returns. In this way the Great Golden Digger Wasp both pollinates the plants and controls the pests that damage them. So when you see the Great Golden Digger Wasp don’t reach for the spray. They’re actually making the world a better place for us.
Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.
Announcement 2.0
For those who have been following me on Facebook and know of the struggle content providers have to get circulation from big tech I’ve been recommending for people to adopt MeWe as a social media platform. One of the problems I’ve run into on MeWe is that people don’t know how to navigate the platform. So to help with that I’ve created a permanent page on my website as a basic Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe I’ve tried to anticipate all basic questions there and You can bookmark the page to have as a reference and if you have any questions or suggestions don’t hesitate to contact me. I do still have a day job and I help admin several pages on both platforms so replies might be a little slow but I will answer you.
We also have the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe that is set up as a fully functional community. There you’ll not only be able to see and connect with me but you can also make your own posts and interact with each other.
I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup
Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/embed/#?secret=GJGnIQEVHc
Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!
To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.
If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.
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Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?
I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply use the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.
