We most often equate the word “wasp” with “hornet” or “yellowjacket,” maybe “dirt dauber,” but these insects are vastly more diverse. Most do not, or will not, sting.They perform all manner of ecosystem functions, from pollination to pest control. So successful are wasps that many other insects emulate them through mimicry. Join us for a mind-blowing journey into the wasp realm, from giant cicada killers to minuscule “fairyflies,” and participate in a game of “Wasp/Not Wasp” with author and entomologist Eric R. Eaton. You will never see wasps the same way again.
Cost: free to all MPF dues-paying members and Grow Native! professional members, or $15 for non-members.
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Eric R. Eaton (he/him) is a writer, author of Insectpedia (Princeton University Press, 2022), and Wasps: The Astonishing Diversity of a Misunderstood Insect (Princeton University Press, 2021). He is also lead author of the Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007), and co-author of Insects Did It First (Xlibris, 2018) with Gregory S. Paulson. He has contributed to several other books, and has written articles about insects and other animals for Natural History, Birds and Blooms, Ranger Rick, Missouri Conservationist, and other magazines. Eric writes the blogs Bug Eric and Sense of Misplaced. Mr. Eaton studied entomology at Oregon State University, and has worked as a professional entomologist at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), Cincinnati Zoo, and Chase Studio, Inc., as well as on private contract for the Smithsonian, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, and University of Colorado. His empathy for the squeamish and scared, knack for identification of mystery bugs, and his accurate, jargon-free explanations of insect biology have made him a leading figure in popular entomology. He resides in Leavenworth, Kansas (not incarcerated!) with his partner, Heidi.
Photo by Bruce Schuette.