Wandering Velvet Ant - Timulla vagans

I was so excited to see this! It was a first for me :)

Habitat: On milkweed in a rural garden

comments (8)

Ferdy Christant

Lion

Whoa, congrats on your first Velvet ant. I take it you skipped your tendency to touch everything this time :) Posted 6 years ago
1. Christine Young
  
  Lion
  
  Thanks! I did not touch it, but it was a close call because I was tempted and curious. Posted 6 years ago

Ruth Spigelman

Lion

Superb macro. Those in this family of wasps are just so pretty! But concealing a powerful defence of course. Posted 6 years ago
1. Christine Young
  
  Lion
  
  Thanks, Ruth! They are gorgeous! This is only the second individual that I've ever seen, and my first photo of one! Posted 6 years ago

Flown Kimmerling

Lion

Congrats, Christine! Velvet ants are hard to photograph (almost always moving)! Perfect shot! Posted 6 years ago
1. Christine Young
  
  Lion
  
  Thanks! It was sooo difficult to get a shot! It was constantly moving and would fall off the plant and hide on the ground when I approached. But, it kept coming back to this milkweed plant, so I just had to wait. Still, I was very lucky to capture it! Posted 6 years ago

Stuart

Lion

Fantastic! They are indeed difficult to get a clear shot of, cheeky little creatures looking like ants ;) Posted 5 years ago
1. Christine Young
  
  Lion
  
  Thanks Stuart! They are tricksy little ant-impersonators! Posted 5 years ago

The Timulla vagans

The Mutillidae are a family of more than 3,000 species of wasps (despite the names) whose wingless females resemble large, hairy ants. Their common name velvet ant refers to their dense pile of hair, which most often is bright scarlet or orange, but may also be black, white, silver, or gold. Black and white specimens are sometimes known as panda ants due to their hair coloration resembling that of the giant panda. Their bright colors serve as aposematic signals. They are known for their extremely.. more

Info 3 0

Similar species: Wasps, Bees, Sawflies And Ants

Species identified by Christine Young