"It looks like a bug carrying a cotton ball", said the ever-observant Julian - Dasymutilla sackenii - Santiago Oaks Regional Park, Orange, Orange County, California, USA November 12, 2007
My nine-year-old grandson and I were exploring a park that had a severe burn (90%) about six months ago. I explained that what he'd spotted - and I'd missed - was a female velvet ant, but that I didn't know its species. What I couldn't explain was why this little wasp was on a charred tree, apparently dining on sap. (The tree was damaged, but undefeated. Sap was flowing from a spot about seven feet above ground, where a fairly large limb was recently sawed off.)
So, who's the velvet ant? And what's she doing?
Images of this individual: tag all Contributed by Ron Hemberger on 15 November, 2007 - 5:10pm Last updated 15 November, 2007 - 11:56pm |