Spent a little time chasing this little lady down this morning maybe too much. Not something I come across too often actually pretty rarely, every 2 years or so. She's quick, independent and not one to get stung by.
The Velvet Ant (aka cow killer).
Dasymutilla occidentalis.
I think my favorite is the last i posted and may be better than the one in the article.
https://www.pestworld.org/pest-guide/stinging-insects/velvet-ants-cow-killers/
I should get my wife to video me taking my pictures. Imagine it would be a good laugh.
Add a little music and I must look like a cross between a Benny Hill and John Cleese skit.
She's a little over 2 cm long. The wasp not the wife.
