A meeting of minds ... large and small (plus a big fellow)

10 July

The wasp stands a good chance of being Cerceris nigrescens, and if so does not seem to have a common name. A ground nesting wasp that typically provision their nests with beetles, especially weevils, which they paralyze and store as food for their larvae. I stand to be corrected on the species if anyone has an opinion.

The ant is tricky, and we have many ants in this garden to confuse me. At first I thought perhaps Nearctic Carpenter Ant (Camponotus nearcticus). Further investigation though comes up with Complex Formica fuscaa, a member of Wood, Mound, and Field Ants Genus Formica

Yesterday I posted a photograph of rather small Longhorn Beetle, less than an inch long. In response, an old friend, a proper entomologist no less who lives in the Solomon Islands, sent me this picture of a rather larger longhorn Beetle. Fancy this fellow flying across your path “Whilst Out Walking”. 🤯