We are pleased to announce the winner of our Monday Nature Mystery, Nicole Rose! (Please email your snail mail address and preference for a hat or tote bag to [email protected]).
Congratulations to Nicole for identifying the Golden-reined Digger Wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus). According to Bug Guide, the wasp looks similar to the Great Golden Digger Wasp but is smaller: males are about 29mm and females are 25mm. This species is a member of the genus Sphex, and like other species in this genus, Golden-reined Digger Wasps are ground nesters. Wasps can become territorial if they feel their nests are threatened or when the availability of food is low, but most of them are not aggressive. Simply avoiding the nest area can prevent most stings.
Last Week's Mystery: Golden-reined Digger Wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus). Photo: Randy Streufert
Each Monday we’ll post a new photo and identify the previous week’s winner. They’ll receive an ASNV hat or tote bag.
Be sure to post your answer on our Facebook page @AudubonVA under the Monday Mystery post...do not reply to this email with your guess! We only accept entries from our Facebook page, not via email.
Please remember to write the common name, being mindful of hyphens, uppercase and lowercase letters and always include the Latin name in parentheses. To learn more about bird names click here.
Who is this? Photo: Seth Honig
This week’s Mystery: Who is this?
Post your guess (please list both common name and Latin name) on our Facebook page @AudubonVA under this week's Monday Nature Mystery. Remember, we only accept entries from our Facebook page, not via email!
Good luck!
-Audubon Society of Northern Virginia
Please note that we only accept entries on our Facebook page where they are date- and time-stamped. Remember that, if you need to correct your entry, you should make a new posting rather than correcting the old one so that we get a correct time stamp for your correction. Winners are limited to one prize every 90 days, maximum 2 per person.
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