The unique blue black coloring - with a vivid blue sheen to the wings - first caught my attention. `Then, the enormous size held my attention. At least an inch & a half long & very plump, this was absolutely the largest wasp I've ever seen anywhere!!! Since I've had extremely unpleasant, allergic reactions to wasp stings in the past, chasing down this huge specimen somewhat unnerved me. I wasn't in the mood for a trip to the ER. However, each time I tried to capture him with my Macro lens, the big bruiser would suddenly fly straight at me! His refusing to be photographed only made me even more determined to get a photo. It took 5 tries with his flying at me and my jumping aside before I got this shot. He was just about to take off and fly at me again !!! After I got my photo, I was more than happy to part company with him. Looking back, I now shiver every time I look at this photo and remember how I got it.

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