Great Black Wasps (Sphex pensylvanicus), a species of
digger wasps, is a common sight at the Park. This wasp is an important
pollinator to several plants, including milkweeds (shown on Swamp
Milkweed). Adult females build underground nests in which they provision
with grasshoppers. The prey is stung three times, once in the neck and
twice in the thorax, which paralyzes them. The female carries the prey to
the nest, where she glues an egg to the underside. (Wolf. Oesterreich, 7/30/18)
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