So excited to get this video of a Carpenter Bee nectar robbing Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red' - Beardtongue Cultivar. Nectar robbing is when a bee (usually Carpenter Bees but also ants, birds and moths) drills a hole in the corolla of the flower thus bypassing the reproductive organs of a flower to steal the nectar. Some say this leads to less seed production. Others say this increases seed production because bees that do go in the flower need to visit more flowers in order to get more nectar since the supply is diminished by the robber. Something to think about.

All Hairstreaks will move their hind wings up and down when perched. If you notice, the tails on the hind wings look like eyespots. This 'false head' is believed to attract potential predator's to this part of the body. If attacked, this part of the wings may be torn away to escape.

The plant in the video is Asclepias incarnata ssp pulchra - Showy Swamp Milkweed.

This beautiful Red-banded Sand Wasp is an amazing pollinator. It is also a predator and found a tasty Tomato Hornworm (which will turn into beautiful Hawk Moth) for her offspring. She will drag this into her burrow and lay an egg on the paralyzed caterpillar. When the egg hatches, it will consume the paralyzed caterpillar and mature into the adult form by the time it is finished.

A good look at the powerful mandibles (jaw) of the Red-banded Wasp on Monarda punctata - Spotted Horsemint.

Red-banded wasp on Echinacea purpurea - Purple Coneflower.