Two new! Who knew?
During a recent research session surveying for native pollinators, Charles Hawkins, a Fall 2024 intern from Wingate University, discovered two new-to-us species. The stars of the discovery? The Potter Wasp (Eumenes fraternus) and the Banded Garden Spider (Argiope trifasciata).
The Potter Wasp, native to eastern North America, belongs to the Vespidae family. Most of the Potter Wasp species are dark with striking yellow or white stripes and have wings that fold along their bodies. And like most Vespids, another word for wasp, they have longitudinally folding wings. What sets them apart are some unique features, like a special projection near their wing bases called a parategula and a distinct ridge along their hind leg segment.
These wasps get their name from their pottery-shaped mud nests, which some say inspired Native American pottery designs. To build these nests, female Potter Wasps scrapes mud with her mandibles and front legs. They mix the mud with water and saliva, to form a ball, and carry it to the site of their nest. When the nest is complete she fills it with paralyzed beetle larvae or spiders, providing a meal for the hatching larva.
Potter Wasps mix mud and salvia to form their pottery-like nests.
The Banded Garden Spider, or Banded Orb Weaver, is native to the Americas. It’s most active from September to October and weaves webs up to 24 inches wide. The females, often resting in the center of their webs in an X shape, are easy to spot, while the smaller males usually keep a low profile nearby.
When prey lands in the web, the spider quickly immobilizes it with silk, then injects venom to digest it. They also add a unique zigzag pattern to their webs, thought to attract prey and signal larger animals to avoid damaging the web.
Both of these new arrivals bring benefits to the field station’s ecosystem. The Potter Wasp aids in pollination, while the Banded Garden Spider keeps insect populations in check. Their presence is a promising boost to the biodiversity at Southern 8ths!
