Bugland: Golden Velvet
Velvet Ants are not ants at all, but wingless wasps. There are more than 7,000 species of Velvet Ants (their official name is Mutillidae); they vary in color from bright scarlet to orange, and may also be black, white, silver or gold. Their bright colors serve as aposematic signals — or advertisements to other animals that they aren’t worth eating. They have extremely painful stings, but are not aggressive and sting only in defense. This Velvet Ant was photographed at Bluff Lake, just east of Park Hill, by Mark Silverstein.