Alex WildA leafcutter bee collects nectar and pollen from a Rudbeckia flower. Indiana Dunes National Park, USA.
myrmepropagandistHave you ever done a photoshoot with Myrmilloides grandiceps? I think you can find them in Texas. It's the most hilarious-looking cute little wasp I never knew about.
@futurebird Not yet! I see them in the field sometimes, they’re pretty common and really distinctive.
MatthewI can’t stop thinking about her. Did you know the males of Myrmilloides grandiceps have little vestigial wings? In the Mutillidae (velvet ant, I think Mutillidae means ‘cut off’ so I guess they are the cut-off-wings genus) the females never have wings, but males often do— but not this goofball. The males have these mini wings that look like they are from a halloween costume.
I need to know more about this anty wasp!
Mans R@futurebird Their wings are mutilated?
@mansr In a way yes. They don’t have wings.
@futurebird I was thinking of the name.
Pollinators@alexwild. An excellent view of the details of the leafcutter bee.
arctos
Lars@alexwild so fluffy 🥰