100 more species #94: Squash vine borer
Squash vine borer Melittia cucurbitae
One of the great joys of my life is seeing a new life form--new to me, that is. Sometimes I can compare it to something I've seen before, extrapolate from its morphology or behavior what its ecological niche is, or what other creatures it's related to. Upon seeing this one there was a dizzying uncertainty, a rush of euphoria quickly followed by anxiety; it was moving too fast to get a good photo, and it was nervous and evasive in general. Its darting waspish flight was a ruse, I suspected.
I managed to get a close look and see its head and mouthparts. Mouthparts are often the route to an insect's identity. It did not have the heavy shearing mandibles of the wasps it resembled. More importantly I could see that its orange color was not the smooth chitinous armor of a moth nor the fuzzy scurf of a bee but rather an accumulation of scales--a giveaway of the lepidoptera order, the moths.*
This particular moth was exploiting the color scheme (and flight behavior) of our native paper wasps to convince would-be molesters that it was venomous. Further research revealed that it was probably in the neighborhood to lay eggs in our pumpkin vines. The squash vine borer spends its larval life as a grub-like caterpillar eating its way through the heart of vines of squash plants, including pumpkin. Since pumpkin is one of the most American of the garden vegetables, that makes the squash vine borer one of the most American of the garden pests. We shall see whether pest or vegetable fairs better in our garden. I like unusual insects enough that I hope there is room for both.