Hunting wasp, Home

I have a confession to make: I'm, well, stumped. Today's walk featured a trek with my ancient 55mm Nikon micro lens, the close-up stand-by that's so old—late 60s, I think—that it's pre- automatic everything. Still, it enables me to capture the intimate natural history world in remarkable detail, and as I was combing an old log for interesting mushrooms to capture, this exquisite wasp popped out of a cavity in the soft wood where, I imagine, it was looking for larvae to either eat right there or parasitize for food for its own young. It had those striking purple wings that are common in Sphex wasps, and though I thought the dual colored antennae and orange and black legs would make identification easy, that optimism proved wrong. For this one, I'll easy have to consult an expert or, as I'll keep trying, get lucky. Maybe, horror of horrors, I'll even have to use a wasp taxonomy key and learn something. That, of course, wouldn't be the worst thing, but for now, a bit of mystery will have to do.