“Is that a stinger?” our dad asked as he looked up at the bizarre creature we found on our gazebo one summer in North Dakota. The insect looked like a wasp, and it had an alarming 4-inch spike on the end of its abdomen.
Wasps
Beneficials in My Garden
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive The pea crop was bountiful. Buckets filled as we picked by the handful. But what was this crawling up my arm? A little green aphid dodged hairs as he...
In Which I Saw a Hole in a Lily Pad…
What made that hole? I wondered. There in the lily pad leaf was a quarter-sized hole. To satisfy my curiosity, I lifted an edge of the lily pad.
Be an Alpine Giant for a Day
Dad, are you crazy? my son was probably thinking as our van rocked and shook in the 60-mile-an-hour gale…
Christmas Decorations That Keep Giving
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Photo © Dana Atkinson. Grandma got more than she bargained for when she brought in some greenery for Christmas. You might get some surprises too if you...
A Turkey Feather and a Bottle of Wasp Ink
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Photo © Dana Atkinson. Tiny wasps help tell a story of George Washington and Samuel Pannebecker “for those who come after….”The little fellow came tearing...
The Hunter Becomes the Hunted
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Watch this! I thought to myself. I think that spider-hunting wasp is about to become a spider’s prey.I had just noticed the mud wasp, in this case a blue...
