square-headed wasp (Ectemnius continuus) pollinating wild parsnip at Ludwig Prairie Preserve IA 653A3015

This cute little square-headed wasp does have a very noticeable quadrate or square-shaped head! Adult square-headed wasps in this genus help pollinate our plants as they get sustenance from flower nectar and pollen. However, females catch flies to feed their larvae that are hatched from eggs laid inside a hollow plant stem or rotten log.

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