An upclose look at nature in action

It’s summer time; it’s hot and outdoors activities are best confined to early and late in the day. It’s proper to sit back under the cooling hum of the air conditioner and remember how special the outdoors can be and to be reminded of events of the past that made impressions of me.
I remember once when visiting my hunting club in later summer, I experienced something that was news to me. I was privileged to see two wild turkeys take to the air from the back side of the goat weed patch, climb nearly a hundred feet high to sail over the tops of the pines at the edge of the field. Turkeys are not known as strong fliers and I had no idea they could fly that high with such ease.
The most fascinating thing I saw, though, was right here in my own back yard.
Living in the country working from my home office, I’m often privy to nature doing what nature does. I’ll hear a commotion outside the window and it’ll be two hummingbirds undergoing a kamakazi attack on each other. Something scratches on the side of the house, I’ll go out and a squirrel will scurry away. Looking across the pasture when I walk out for the morning paper, I’ll frequently see a red-coated doe browsing along pasture’s edge.
Recently, I saw something that at first baffled me. My interest was piqued when I noticed a mound of sand pushed up against the concrete slab of the back porch from under the ajuga plants growing there. I assumed it was the mole that has given us fits this summer. I was about to fetch the mole trap when a creature crawled out of a hole in the middle of the sand pile and flew away.
It was the biggest wasp I’d ever seen. It looked like a hornet on steroids. Colored yellow and black somewhat like a yellow jacket or guinea wasp, the creature was a good two inches long. I was baffled and I’ll admit, a bit shaken. What if a colony of super-sized hornets or yellow jackets had chosen this site for their home? I could forget about relaxing on the porch under the ceiling fan. I live too far from the emergency room to enjoy that privilege.

When I spotted a cicada lying in the sand next to the wasp’s entry hole in the sand, a light bulb came on in my head. I had read an article sometime ago about cicada killer wasps that inhabit our area.
A trip to cyberspace revealed that the creature which had troubled me was indeed a cicada killer. Photos accompanying the articles I read confirmed it. Here’s what I learned from a University of Kentucky website about these interesting bugs.
“Also known as sand hornets, these wasps attract attention due to their large size, the burrows that they dig in home lawns, and their buzzing flights over the lawn. These insects occur in all states east of the Rocky Mountains and prefer to dig their burrows in sandy, bare, well drained soil exposed to full sunlight. The wasps feed on flower nectar while the immature or larval stage feeds primarily upon cicadas that are brought to the burrow by the adult.
“In spite of their large size, the wasps usually ignore people but they can give a painful sting if bothered. Mating males are aggressive and more easily disturbed.”
According to the article, the females search tree trunks and lower limbs for cicadas. The wasp stings its prey, turns the victim on its back, straddles it, and drags it or glides with it to the burrow. Each cell is furnished with at least one cicada (sometimes two or three) and a single egg before being sealed off. Two to 3 days later the egg hatches. Depending on the number of cicadas in its cell, the larva feeds for 4 to 10 days until only the cicada’s outer shell remains.
And I thought a high-flying wild turkey was going to be the highlight of my week!