Isodontia elegans
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Isodontia elegans, also known as the elegant grass-carrying wasp, is a species of solitary, nest-provisioning, thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae that hunts orthopterans (grasshoppers, crickets, bush crickets, locusts, etc.).
I. elegans is described as having a generally black-color body, rusty-red to yellowish abdomen, and see-through wings with some tinting. They were originally considered to be a species of western and southern North America, but have been found in the northeastern corner of the continent in increasing numbers. They seem to use pre-existing holes created by other insects for their nests and then outfit them with "finely chewed fibers of dead weeds and grass." The grass serves as a defensive barrier at one end of the nest; it keeps parasites from entering while the larvae feed on the paralyzed insects which have been stored in the nursery.
Isodontia elegans may be attracted to same kind of nest holes that appeal to blue orchard mason bees. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Elegant Grass-Carrying Wasp sighting in Salt Lake City on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 111th most-seen of the 242 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June to August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Elegant Grass-Carrying Wasp in Salt Lake City on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months. Those are among Salt Lake City's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against 70 mm in December.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Elegant Grass-Carrying Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 11 cities where we can rate Elegant Grass-Carrying Wasp sightings, Salt Lake City ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Seattle (United States, about 10%), Portland (United States, about 10%) and Chicago (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Elegant Grass-Carrying Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Salt Lake City (16 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
