{"id":153304,"date":"2025-08-23T04:28:18","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T09:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=153304"},"modified":"2025-08-23T04:29:38","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T09:29:38","slug":"horse-guard-wasp-on-water-smartweed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/08\/23\/horse-guard-wasp-on-water-smartweed\/","title":{"rendered":"Horse Guard Wasp On Water Smartweed"},"content":{"rendered":"

I spotted a Horse Guard Wasp nectaring on Water Smartweed at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, and of course I had to photograph the wasp.<\/p>\n

\"HorseHorse Guard Wasp nectaring on a Water Smartweed \u2013 Canon R7, handheld, f8, 1\/250, ISO 1000, Canon EF 100-400mm II at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t completely sure what species it was at first, so I checked iNaturalist<\/span><\/a> to help with the ID. I always prefer to give credit where credit is due, and here\u2019s what I learned about the wasp I photographed.<\/p>\n

These wasps are slender, with narrow waists, long legs, black bodies with yellow markings, and clear wings. Adults are about half an inch to three-quarters of an inch long. These wasps can be found in open fields, pastures, meadows, and sandy spots where horse flies are common. They often fly low over the grass or stop at flowers for a sip of nectar.<\/p>\n

Horse Guard Wasps are actually quite good to have around horses and other livestock because they get rid of the flies and horses aren’t bothered by them.<\/p>\n

\"HorseHorse Guard Wasp at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge \u2013 Canon R7, handheld, f8, 1\/250, ISO 1000, Canon EF 100-400mm II at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Water Smartweed is a perennial that grows along the edges of lakes, rivers, and wetlands, sometimes floating or partially submerged. Its lance-shaped leaves and clusters of small pink flowers attract all kinds of pollinators, including this wasp.<\/p>\n

Female Horse Guard Wasps are solitary and stock their burrows with plenty of prey. Each burrow has several chambers, and for each egg, the female captures and paralyzes 30 to 60 horse flies to feed the developing larva. After the burrow is stocked, she lays a single egg in a chamber and seals it. These wasps don\u2019t form colonies, though several may nest near one another if the soil is just right.<\/p>\n

Watching this small winged predator feeding on Water Smartweed is a good reminder that even tiny wildflowers in a wetland can support a surprising amount of activity.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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

I spotted a Horse Guard Wasp nectaring on Water Smartweed at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, and of course I had to photograph the wasp.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":153292,"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":[16685,13973,13974],"tags":[4004,6098,7353,14190,13984,6518,16691,1799,4302,6044,16694,5064,16692,2315,14420,14417,16693,4307],"class_list":["post-153304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-horse-guard-wasps","category-oklahoma","category-sequoyah-national-wildlife-refuge","tag-adult","tag-blooming","tag-blossoms","tag-bottomland-hardwood-forest","tag-bottomlands","tag-flowering","tag-horse-guard-wasp","tag-insects","tag-native","tag-nectaring","tag-persicaria-amphibia","tag-pink-wildflowers","tag-stictia-carolina","tag-summer-3","tag-wasp","tag-wasps","tag-water-smartweed","tag-wildflowers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/horse-guard-wasp-water-smartweed-mia-mcpherson-7015.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-DSE","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":132509,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/08\/16\/more-new-butterflies-at-sequoyah-nwr\/","url_meta":{"origin":153304,"position":0},"title":"More New Butterflies At Sequoyah NWR!","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 16, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday, when I shared the pale young Raccoon, I mentioned that I also photographed some butterflies at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge. Here they are!","rel":"","context":"In "Oklahoma"","block_context":{"text":"Oklahoma","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/oklahoma\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pipevine Swallowtail next to the Arkansas River, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pipevine-swallowtail-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-1350.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pipevine-swallowtail-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-1350.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pipevine-swallowtail-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-1350.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pipevine-swallowtail-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-1350.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":130240,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/07\/06\/great-blue-heron-and-bog-smartweed\/","url_meta":{"origin":153304,"position":1},"title":"Great Blue Heron And Bog Smartweed","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 6, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"After a great session photographing young Barred Owls at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, I also took some photos of a Great Blue Heron in a nearby slough.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Great Blue Heron in Bog Smartweed, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/great-blue-heron-bog-smartweed-oklahoma-ma-mcpherson-9075.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/great-blue-heron-bog-smartweed-oklahoma-ma-mcpherson-9075.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/great-blue-heron-bog-smartweed-oklahoma-ma-mcpherson-9075.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/great-blue-heron-bog-smartweed-oklahoma-ma-mcpherson-9075.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":94056,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/08\/26\/summer-dragonflies-and-butterflies-at-bear-river-mbr\/","url_meta":{"origin":153304,"position":2},"title":"Summer Dragonflies And Butterflies At Bear River MBR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 26, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Today I am sharing some of the dragonflies and butterflies I've found at Bear River MBR in the summer.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Two Clouded Sulphur butterflies on a Common Sunflower, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/clouded-sulphur-butterfly-on-common-sunflower-mia-mcpherson-4408.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/clouded-sulphur-butterfly-on-common-sunflower-mia-mcpherson-4408.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/clouded-sulphur-butterfly-on-common-sunflower-mia-mcpherson-4408.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/clouded-sulphur-butterfly-on-common-sunflower-mia-mcpherson-4408.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":153304,"position":3},"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":[]},{"id":95738,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/09\/29\/clouded-sulphur-butterfly-and-rabbitbrush\/","url_meta":{"origin":153304,"position":4},"title":"Clouded Sulphur Butterfly And Rabbitbrush","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 29, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"I got lucky at one rabbitbrush when I found a Clouded Sulphur butterfly nectaring on what I believe is a Rubber Rabbitbrush.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Clouded Sulphur butterfly nectaring on Rabbitbrush, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/clouded-sulphur-butterfly-rabbitbrush-mia-mcpherson-6367.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/clouded-sulphur-butterfly-rabbitbrush-mia-mcpherson-6367.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/clouded-sulphur-butterfly-rabbitbrush-mia-mcpherson-6367.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/clouded-sulphur-butterfly-rabbitbrush-mia-mcpherson-6367.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":135139,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/09\/29\/clouded-skipper-butterflies-things-with-wings\/","url_meta":{"origin":153304,"position":5},"title":"Clouded Skipper Butterflies – Things With Wings","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 29, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Two days ago, when I shared Huron Sachem skipper butterfly images I said I needed to identify another butterfly. 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