Ornery King snake and Polistes wasp

[jamesp]

He's getting ready to strike the lens 6 inches away and make me drop the camera. Tail shaking vigorously.
He finally slithered down the hill and blooped in the pond, never see King's going in water. Very unusual behavior.
30 inches long, young one. Blue eye, must be due a shed. So blind and pissy. Best snake to have, eats Copperheads and mice thank you.




No idea why the Polistes wasps are gnawing at the lips of the carnivorous plants. By the hundreds.

[orrum]

Great King pic James. They make very attractive belts!

[Garage Rocker]

Liking all the pics, that first king snake pic is the bomb!

I need me a good walk in the woods. Been cooped up inside too long.

[captbob]

No idea why the Polistes wasps are gnawing at the lips of the carnivorous plants

Nest building material?

[jamesp]

Sept 3, 2017 8:56:40 GMT -5 captbob said:

No idea why the Polistes wasps are gnawing at the lips of the carnivorous plants

Nest building material?

Nope. They are not cutting away plant flesh at all. It's as if they are combing the hairs. Perhaps tiny mites are in the hairs. They are doing this frantically.
Those plants generate serious chemicals yielding narcotic behavior to bugs. Bees acting if meth or amphetamine is on this lip, animated and hyper.

Upper stomach is S. Alata, the wasp eater. ala many wasps
Lower is S. Leuch., the moth eater. ala many moths.
The wasps are attacking S. Leuch. for some odd.