flying insect
Location: Merritt, BC Canada
May 28, 2011 3:00 pm
Recently found this insect on a trellis in our yard. At first glance thought maybe it was a relative to the wasp however, it seemed very docile in nature. It allowed us to get very close for a snap shot and afterwards, we tried to entice it to fly but it just clung to a stick. It definatley tolerated alot of poking and proding! Please help us identify this insect, we have had no luck searching it out ourselves and have never seen it in our yard before. Thanks!
Signature: Robin
Hi Robin,
This is a Sawfly and we love the object merger that is created by the tendril. This photo conjures up thoughts of mind control in science fiction movies of the 1950s when America was engaged in the Cold War. We think your photographs are positively gorgeous. It is especially nice that the lateral view is so excellent for identification purposes for even the most novice of insect enthusiasts.
The Elm Sawfly, Cimbex americana, would be more appropriately called the American Sawfly if the official taxonomically accurate binomial names were translated into English. You were quite observant to notice that the Elm Sawfly resembles the wasps as they are in the same insect order, Hymenoptera. Sawflies are non-stinging relatives of bees and wasps.