Hidalgo Mason Wasp

My mountain mint is like a big, popular restaurant for solitary wasps and other pollinators in these dog-days of summer.  I can always be assured of finding something interesting to point my lens at when the mint starts blooming.  This is a rather small wasp in the Genus Euodynerus and they are, like most solitary wasps, considered to be very beneficial in the garden since they use various caterpillar larva as the host for their own young.  They nest in burrows or sometimes bee houses or other cavities, frequently using the old burrows of other wasp species.  They find their caterpillar host, take it into the nest, lay one egg, seal off that section of the nest and then resume hunting for the next host.  It may all sound a little gruesome (for the caterpillars, certainly) but this is how a well-balanced eco-system works.  Adult Hildago wasps eat nectar and are considered to be good pollinators in addition to their pest control attributes.

And now you probably know more about Hidalgo Mason Wasps than you ever wanted!

Another hot one today although we had some early morning cloud cover which made it feel less yucky.  And at the moment we are having a torrential rain with thunder and lightening.  I would not be surprised if we get well over an inch of rain just based on how hard it's coming down.  We are all very happy to stay inside right now, especially Jax who hates rain ore than anything.

Last night we finally watched "Barbie" which was entertaining even if a bit silly.  Not really the sort of movie we usually seek out.  

I am entering three prints from SA in this year's state fair and finally narrowed down my picks this morning, mounted them and now have only to drop them off on Saturday.  

xo
Debbi