Great Golden Digger Wasp [Sphex ichneumoneus] on Common Milkweed [Asclepias syriaca] atFletcher Park on 17 July 2016. The plant is a member of the Milkweed (Asclepiadaceae) family. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, pages 264-265, states it’s a “coarse plant of fields of fields and roadsides.” The NWF Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America, page 362 says this digger wasp is solitary and is “active during summer in moist habitats with open shady, areas.”
USDA Plants Listing: Asclepias syriaca
Great Golden Digger Wasp – 17 July 2016
Common Milkweed with wasp – 17 July 2016
Common Milkweed – 17 July 2016
