Strike a pose… potty wasp…

Author Koh Lin ◦

One of the interesting and amazing wasps often seen in Central Australia is the Potter Wasp (Delta latreillei). A fairly large wasp (the one pictured here is just over 3.5 centimetres in length from head to the tip of the abdomen), it also goes by the name of the Orange-tailed Potter Wasp aka Mud Wasp.

The Orange-tailed is evident, but the other common name of Mud Wasp is because they make their nest out of local mud (in Central Australia, the nest is often reddish in colour). They often hang around ponds, bird baths and swimming pools, as they need water to mix with the mud when creating their mud nest.

A solitary wasp, that is rarely aggressive if left alone, it is one of my current favourite wasps. Indeed, it was really something to see it land on the rock around the swimming pool and just stay there for several minutes, just taking it casual and striking a pose (as I whipped out my mobile phone camera).