Fantastic shots everyone! and thanks for the little lesson in German Ursula- it's such a true statement.
Char's "Mega-fly" is a Tachinid Fly, a predator. You can tell who they are by their really bad hair!
The little green bee is a sweat bee. Sometimes they have a black and white striped abdomen, but the females like Char's can be a completely solid green. Both of them have a bit of hair on their bodies they use to collect pollen called Scopae-remember anybody?
They nest inside the ground in tiny individual tunnels.
Cuckoo wasps look very similar in size and color, but are more or less bald (and no stinger either :::sigh:: of relief)
They are called Cuckoos b/c they do what a Cuckoo bird does, lay their eggs in the nest of another which survive off their host.
Yellow jackets can be really annoying this time of year because the young are already raised and they have too much empty time on their hands- rather feet, or wings whatever
Who doesn't just love them? Actually they're really good pollinators in the early summer and they can eat about a pound of insects within a 1000 sq ft garden! They liquefy their catches to feed the young- bleech!
Now for some visuals:
FUNNYJUNK.COM
<---Cuckoo Wasp
<-- Metallic Green Sweat Bee
FUNNYJUNK.COM
<---Cuckoo Wasp
<-- Metallic Green Sweat Bee
<-- Leaf-footed Stink Bug
