Great Black Wasp on swamp milkweed
Sphex pensylvanicus
Great Black Wasp · Brooklyn Botanic Garden · 26 July 2026
A Great Black Wasp on swamp milkweed in the July border, a large, entirely black solitary wasp of meadows and gardens across the eastern United States, with smoky blue-black wings. It nests in bare sandy soil and hunts katydids in the long grass.
Swamp milkweed has an awkward pollination mechanism by most standards, its pollen bundled into paired sacs that snag on a visiting insect's leg rather than dusting it loose. Despite the size and the colour, this is a docile hunter as far as people are concerned: adults feed on nectar, and only the katydids carried back to the burrow ever meet the sting.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
Every photograph comes with notes on what it is.
Selected
Favourite shots. Filter by subject, or .
Places
Everything, by where it was taken.
Species
Larger catalogue of photos organized by species of animal or plant.
Catalogue
Every photograph, newest first. Narrow it by period, place or species; the three work together.
Updates
Coming soon. Sign up at the bottom of the page for updates.