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Dasymutilla occidentalis
Red and black wingless female wasp.
The Velvet Ant is the wingless female wasp also known as the "Cow Killer" because its retractable stinger packs a sting so painful, legend states it's painful enough to kill an adult cow.
2 Comments
Thanks! We have them all over the yard in the summer, but they move so incredibly fast, it's close to impossible to take a photo of one. This one saw or smelled something that got its attention long enough to pause for a brief moment. I took hundreds of photos of these things last summer, and they were mostly red blurs I deleted off the card.
nice spotting