You know how I’m always going on about how nice it is to not mow because duh, mowing is a drag, but also because it creates space for plants and insects we don’t usually see in your average suburban lawn? Well, the good news is that my backyard is busy. Not only do I have lemon verbena and apple mint and milkweed popping up from previous years’ seeds, along with aster and grapes and lamb’s quarters and sorrel and the like, yay, but I just met something new.
Meet the pigeon horntail, which is not a pigeon and not a dragon but is instead a giant insect native to these parts. I’ve never seen one before and I certainly didn’t expect to meet one while out refilling the bird bath.
Halfway into the yard a loud buzzing caught my attention. It sounded like a phone on vibrate, but no. It was instead a very large (and somewhat scary looking) wasp-like creature, about two inches long with a ginormous stinger-like protuberance (not a stinger, but I didn’t know it at the time). It appeared to be freshly born as the buzzing was from its sole moving wing. The second wing was still stuck to its body. I happened to have clear pitcher with me and popped it over top of the thing to get a photo, then looked it up.
Pigeon Horntail (Tremex columba) · iNaturalist Canada
Let’s see:
— Tremex columba, species of wasp also known as the horntail wasp or wood wasp
— native to eastern and western North America (good, so I don’t have to kill it like a lantern fly or murder hornet)
— does not sting or bite (phew, seriously, that tail thingie is no joke)
All good. They like decaying wood so I’m guessing its parental figure was attracted by the stack of wood we acquired after trimming the trees.
I’m not a bug person but it was an interesting new find. I watched until it freed its second wing. And off it flew.
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J.R. Johnson 
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