Here’s another set from the bowels of Facebook that I neglected to put on the blog for some reason. These were taken in 2018 at Pickle Springs Natural Area where Casey and I found this fantastic insect.
The long-tailed giant ichneumonid (Megarhyssa macrurus) is our region’s largest ichneumonid wasp. This species is a parasitoid and its sole host is the pigeon horntail (Tremex columba, fam. Symphyta) that bores tunnels into decaying hardwood species. The long-tailed giant ichneumonid uses its keen senses to find the host and then uses its long ovipositor to drill into the tunnel where it lays an egg and injects venom to paralyze the horntail. This species does not sting.
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 