After photographing butterflies in the meadow on this trip to Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve on 20 July 2024, I suggested to Bhavna that we leave the meadow and go to the new pond to look for dragonflies. As we leisurely walked back through the meadow to the car, I noticed a Great Black Digger Wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus).
At the time when I took the photographs, I did not know what kind of bees and wasps these were or what flowers they were on. All were identified later when I uploaded the photographs to iNaturalist. In the field, I could have transferred the photos from my X-T3 to my iPhone 11 Pro and used the iNaturalist app. I have done that before. But I find that it tends to slow me down, even if it’s just a few minutes, and I could miss out on other photographs. Sometimes the cellular signal is not strong, so I typically upload to iNaturalist later when I am home.
I think this was my first time photographing a Great Black Digger Wasp. The wasp was busy on a cluster of Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum) flowers. The white, spiky blooms seemed to attract the wasp, and its sleek black body was noticeable against the flowers. The species name, pensylvanicus, indicates that this particular wasp species was likely first identified or deemed prevalent in Pennsylvania.
Then, I saw two Two-spotted Bumble Bees (Bombus bimaculatus). The first Two-spotted Bumble Bee was on a bee balm flower. The frilly, tubular petals in shades of pink and purple contrasted with the bee’s yellow and black body.
The second Two-spotted Bumble Bee was on a rosin weed flower. Its bright yellow petals provided a backdrop for the bee as it collected nectar.