this creature is called a great black wasp. i have had occasion in the past to celebrate the aptness with which my fellow scientists tend to name things, and this is no exception. he (i believe it is a male) sailed into my living room through an open patio door yesterday, sounding like part hummingbird, part p51 mustang. my 12 year old son, a lover of all animals including insects, saw the great black wasp buzzing his slow path up the living room window, and let loose a spontaneous, “holy jesus.” it turns out the wasp could not have stung us if he’d wanted to, having no stinger, and may simply have wanted to return to his wife and family. i found this out after i had asked joseph to capture him and freeze him so we could all get a better look. now i feel bad. he was just an immigrant looking for a home. and i categorized him as a threat, because of how he looked. shame on me, in more spheres than the entomological.

great black wasp (sphex pensylvanicus )

shoreview, minnesota

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