The most common observation today was Fireflies hanging out on the leaves in the garden. At least 6 were observed. Swing by in the early evening to see if you can spot some blinging!
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/172030198

A very interesting observation today was of the little Square-headed wasps. They are hunters, gathering prey for their young. They do not create large colonies and so they are not aggressive towards humans. But great fun to watch. Most wasp are very specific about what they feed their young, some collect spiders, others caterpillars, some cicadas... Today was the first time I had observed the activities of Square-headed Wasps. It turns out they hunt Blue Bottle Flies, those shinny metallic blue flies that some might consider pests! In the span of about 15-20 minutes I saw the wasps bring 4 flies into their nest. Observations https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/172029474, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/172158129 include images of a wasp returning to the nest carrying a fly. This observation includes images of the nest excavation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/172158433.

Always some cool nature happening in the garden. The scarlet red of the Bee Balm in the back, and the tiny metallic bronze-green bees coming in to gather pollen are a treat to the eyes! Amazing fireworks colors!
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/170710549
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/170500228

I have created a "Bumble Bee Bookmark" to help identify some of the more common bumble bees in our area. Come by on Sundays between 12:00 and 2:00 PM to get yours.

Posted on July 9, 2023 09:31 PM by jholmes