{"id":130746,"date":"2024-07-18T02:45:44","date_gmt":"2024-07-18T07:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=130746"},"modified":"2024-07-17T17:23:25","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T22:23:25","slug":"common-eastern-velvet-ant-images","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/07\/18\/common-eastern-velvet-ant-images\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Eastern Velvet Ant Images"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, I took Common Eastern Velvet Ant images in Steve Creek’s yard<\/span><\/a> after seeing one of them on what I believe are Dusty Miller plants in his garden.<\/p>\n

These aren’t lifer photos for me; I have photographed this species before. These are the first images I felt were high enough quality to share though.<\/p>\n

\"FemaleFemale Common Eastern Velvet Ant in summer \u2013 Canon R7, f8, 1\/500, ISO 1600, +0.7 EV, Canon 100-500mm at 428mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Because I was using Steve’s Canon R7 and his 100-500mm lens, I was able to walk up to the female Common Eastern Velvet Ant and take close up photos of her.<\/p>\n

Common Eastern Velvet Ants aren’t ants at all; they are parasitoid wasps. The females of this species are wingless. Both genders are extremely quick when they move on the ground and feed on nectar as adults.<\/p>\n

Female Common Eastern Velvet Ants have very painful stings. That information is not from personal experience; I have kept my distance from this species because I have extreme reactions to many types of insect bites<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

One nickname for this species, exaggerated though it may be, is “cow killer,” which also makes me stay far away from them!<\/p>\n

\"MaleMale Common Eastern Velvet Ant in Arkansas \u2013 Canon R7, f8, 1\/1600, ISO 1600, +0.3 EV, Canon 100-500mm at 500mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Male Common Eastern Velvet Ants have wings and no stingers. The males detect the pheromones of the females, locate them, and then carry the females with their mandibles to what they deem is a safe place to mate.<\/p>\n

I honestly thought I saw the female velvet ant fly to the plant I photographed her on. With my research yesterday, I now believe that what I saw was the male flying with the female to the plant, and that I lost sight of the male. The male I photographed may have been that same male.<\/p>\n

Both the male and female Common Eastern Velvet Ants<\/span><\/a> make noises when they feel threatened. I can only describe that sound as a squeaking noise. I remember hearing that noise several times when I would come across velvet ants in Florida when I lived there. That sound fascinated me.<\/p>\n

Nature and wildlife is simply amazing!<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my insect and spider photos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, I took Common Eastern Velvet Ant images in Steve Creek’s yard after seeing one of them on what I believe are Dusty Miller plants in his garden.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":130735,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13950,15358,13951],"tags":[4004,15366,15372,15367,15370,4070,2217,13931,4062,15368,15369,15371,2315,8018,14420,14417,13966],"class_list":["post-130746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arkansas","category-common-eastern-velvet-ants","category-sebastian-county","tag-adult","tag-common-eastern-velvet-ant","tag-cow-killer","tag-dasymutilla-occidentalis","tag-dusty-miller","tag-female","tag-flowers","tag-garden","tag-male","tag-parasitoid-wasp","tag-parasitoid-wasps","tag-senecio-cineraria","tag-summer-3","tag-urban","tag-wasp","tag-wasps","tag-yard"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/common-eastern-velvet-ant-female-mia-mcpherson-3022.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-y0O","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":131612,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/07\/31\/young-eastern-bluebird-fledging-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":130746,"position":0},"title":"Young Eastern Bluebird Fledging Day","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 31, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday morning, the Eastern Bluebird in Steve Creek's third brood fledged. We sat for hours on his deck, waiting for the one chick to leave the nest box.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Eastern Bluebird chick leaving the nest, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/eastern-bluebird-chick-nest-box-mia-mcpherson-8095.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/eastern-bluebird-chick-nest-box-mia-mcpherson-8095.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/eastern-bluebird-chick-nest-box-mia-mcpherson-8095.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/eastern-bluebird-chick-nest-box-mia-mcpherson-8095.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":114447,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/07\/17\/common-grackle-males-in-arkansas\/","url_meta":{"origin":130746,"position":1},"title":"Common Grackle Males in Arkansas","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 17, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, I am tickled to share three male Common Grackle photos. I took these images in my friend Steve Creek's yard during my visit to Arkansas last month.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Common Grackle male with a surprised look, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/common-grackle-male-mia-mcpherson-4878.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/common-grackle-male-mia-mcpherson-4878.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/common-grackle-male-mia-mcpherson-4878.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/common-grackle-male-mia-mcpherson-4878.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":114177,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/07\/06\/young-eastern-bluebird-in-arkansas\/","url_meta":{"origin":130746,"position":2},"title":"Young Eastern Bluebird In Arkansas","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 6, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Just a quick post this morning highlighting a young Eastern Bluebird photographed while foraging on the ground in my friend Steve Creek's yard in Arkansas.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Young Eastern Bluebird foraging on the ground, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/eastern-bluebird-young-mia-mcpherson-1570.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/eastern-bluebird-young-mia-mcpherson-1570.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/eastern-bluebird-young-mia-mcpherson-1570.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/eastern-bluebird-young-mia-mcpherson-1570.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":131685,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/08\/02\/hatch-year-red-bellied-woodpecker-with-prey\/","url_meta":{"origin":130746,"position":3},"title":"Hatch year Red-bellied Woodpecker With Prey","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 2, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"After I photographed the Ruby-throated Hummingbird I shared yesterday, I focused on a hatch year Red-bellied Woodpecker with some kind of prey in their bill.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hatch year Red-bellied Woodpecker, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/red-bellied-woodpecker-immature-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-8336.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/red-bellied-woodpecker-immature-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-8336.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/red-bellied-woodpecker-immature-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-8336.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/red-bellied-woodpecker-immature-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-8336.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":151051,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/07\/29\/eastern-bluebird-nest-box-news-chicks-are-ready-to-fledge\/","url_meta":{"origin":130746,"position":4},"title":"Eastern Bluebird Nest Box News – Chicks Are Ready To Fledge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 29, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Eastern Bluebird chicks in one of my friend Steve Creek's nest boxes are getting ready to fledge. It won't be long before they start exploring the world.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Eastern Bluebird chick getting ready to fledge, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/eastern-bluebird-chick-nestbox-mia-mcpherson-3811.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/eastern-bluebird-chick-nestbox-mia-mcpherson-3811.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/eastern-bluebird-chick-nestbox-mia-mcpherson-3811.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/eastern-bluebird-chick-nestbox-mia-mcpherson-3811.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":114210,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/07\/07\/common-buckeye-butterfly-photos-from-sequoyah-nwr\/","url_meta":{"origin":130746,"position":5},"title":"Common Buckeye Butterfly Photos From Sequoyah NWR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm sharing four Common Buckeye butterfly photos this morning. These images were taken at beautiful Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oklahoma.","rel":"","context":"In "Common Buckeye Butterflies"","block_context":{"text":"Common Buckeye Butterflies","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/common-buckeye-butterflies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Common Buckeye butterfly resting in morning light, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/common-buckeye-sequoyah-nwr-mia-mcpherson-2875.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/common-buckeye-sequoyah-nwr-mia-mcpherson-2875.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/common-buckeye-sequoyah-nwr-mia-mcpherson-2875.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/common-buckeye-sequoyah-nwr-mia-mcpherson-2875.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}