I always page through old magazines before I recycle them. I look for interesting articles that I may have missed, as well as themes and quotes to use for work. As I was looking though the May/June issue of Rhode Island Monthly, I found an article about someone doing a statewide survey of ants.
That reminded me that I had seen a weird ant in my back yard earlier in the year. I had tried to get a picture of it, but the bug moved fast, and it ran away before my camera could focus. But I did capture one shot, albeit a blurry one.
Alas, I do not have a new ant to contribute to the survey. Though this bug may look like an ant, and though, as it turns out, its common name includes the word “ant,” it’s not an ant. This tricky little thing is most likely a velvet ant, which is actually a type of wasp. By my best guess, it’s a four-spotted velvet ant, and specifically a female (you can tell because the males have wings). These suckers are said to give incredibly painful stings, so I should be thankful that I didn’t step on it barefoot.
Poison ivy in the yard wasn’t enough to make me wear shoes. It just made cautious. Neither were the blister beetles, bees, or bramble. Spurge? Eh. So do you think velvet ants are enough to convince me? It seems unlikely. But yes, I probably should wear shoes!