There we were, innocently gamboling about Green River Park, looking for cute and charming little spiders, when I glance at a tree and…what is that shiny yellow&black evil-looking machine over there? It was an ichneumonid wasp with its long glistening ovipositor probing under the bark for plump grubs to parasitize with eggs.
Wicked. First one I’ve seen here.
OK, we did see one pretty little Philodromus. Cute. Not terrifying like she expects you to bow down and worship her, puny mortal.
life in the arthropod world is truly startling so full of fiendish grace, relentless appetites and merciless beauty.
uncle frogy
I always feel a little bad about knocking down dirt dobber* nests, or when I have to kill one. I avoid it where possible. They’re such industrious little monsters, you know? Their nests are always full-to-bursting with the hollowed-out husks of arachnids, and occasionally a few twitching specimens with a spark life left in them.
There’s a brutal efficiency in the handiwork of the spider eaters; a terrible beauty in their devotion to their ravenous offspring. It’s a shame that such elegant killers are saddled with such an ugly, common name but I imagine that, even if they were aware, they wouldn’t care. They have work to do.
Tear out their hearts, little sisters. Tear out their hearts, and swallow them whole.
*That being the colloquial name for the mud dauber wasp ‘round these parts.
I dislike those type of wasps. Had too many butterfly caterpillars die because of them.
Ichneumonids would be a good sports team nickname. The other team may think they’re winning, but wait until the second half when stuff starts hatching inside them. Maybe the currently nameless Washington football team could adopt it.
Wait, weren’t ichneumonids once used as proof of a Benevolent Creator?
imback,
wasn’t there a movie about that?
@5 Charlie boy used them as proof of there not being a Benevolent Creator .
Or something like that.