02-OCT-2012
Bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata)
Another black and white wasp, but quite different from the next one (the potter wasp). These are actually also paper wasps, not true hornets, and are responsible for the large paper nests suspended from trees, usually high up, but not always. The aerial yellowjacket also builds a paper nest very similar in construction, but much smaller, and also suspended from trees or rafters.
02-OCT-2012
Potter wasp (Eumenes fraternus)
A gorgeous shiny black and white wasp, this is one of the species that creates beautiful little clay pots (hence the common name), often on plant stems. Inside the pots they lay their eggs and provision them with caterpillars or sawfly larva.
02-OCT-2012
Sweat bee
This dark metallic bee is more than likely a female Agapostemon sweat bee, but I can't say for sure. Barry photographed this in the Backyard Garden.
02-OCT-2012
Tachinid fly and paper wasp
As Barry noted, earlier, this large aster in the Backyard Garden, was a magnet for insects. I too, have found it to be thick with insects on some days in autumn. Here, a parasitic fly (Tachinid sp.) and a European paper wasp nectar together.
02-OCT-2012
Spotted ladybeetle (Coleomegilla maculata)
These gorgeous little ladybeetles are a native species and can be very common in spring. I've sometimes seen half a dozen on a single dandelion flower. They are also very determined hunters and will take a variety of prey.
02-OCT-2012
Goldenrod crab spider with a hover fly
The spider is so well concealed here that it is barely discernible. Obviously, the poor hover fly didn't see it either. The fly looks like it might be in the Genus Syrphus, one of the small to medium size hover flies (Syrphidae).
02-OCT-2012
Crabronid wasp
This small wasp looks like it is in the Genus Ectemnius, sometimes called the square-headed wasps in some guides. Ectemnius wasps are in the Crabronidae family, the digger wasps.
02-OCT-2012
Beetle
Barry photographed this little beetle on a long trek up the leaf. I can't make out much in the way of detail or colour, but it might just be a spotted cucumber beetle. I post it because the shot is quite artistic.
02-OCT-2012
Paper wasp (Polistes fuscatus)
In contrast to the next wasp, this paper wasp is a native species. It lacks the orange antennae of the P. dominula, and is more soberly coloured with dark brown, almost mahogany coloured eyes. The P. dominula, on the other hand, is black and yellow like a yellowjacket (unfortunately for it, as it is often mistaken for such).
02-OCT-2012
Paper wasp (Polistes dominula)
Barry was kept busy photographing a number of insects species on this white aster in the backyard garden, including this paper wasp. This is a European species that is quite common. Although they can sting, they seem to resist all efforts to make them sting. They are very passive and you'd need to get them really upset to get them to sting (unlike yellowjackets who are a bit more proactive). These wasps are, like many wasps, pollinators.
02-OCT-2012
Female Goldenrod Crab spider (Misumena vatia)
Amazing how these spiders can blend in with the flowers they sit on. On yarrow they are white, with a pink band. They are very successful hunters, sitting in wait for an unsuspecting insect to land on the blossom and then, with a quick dart, they have caught their prey.
02-OCT-2012
Burrower bug (Sehirus cinctus)
A small, shiny black bug that is common but often overlooked due to its size. Although they look like stink bugs, they belong to a different family (Cydnidae).