Photo by Public domain (iNaturalist) on iNaturalist · CC0 (public domain) · specimen identified as Cotesia congregata
BeneficialActive now (September)
Braconid wasp
Braconidae
- When
- Jun–Sep — June, July, August, September. Earlier in the south, later in the north.
- Where to look
- Look for the result rather than the wasp: white rice-like cocoons standing up on the back of a hornworm.
- How to know it
- A tiny, harmless, thread-waisted wasp. The cocoons on a caterpillar's back are the unmistakable sign.
- What it does for you
- If you find a hornworm covered in white cocoons, leave it exactly where it is — it is already dying and about to release dozens more wasps.
Found in these regions
- Boreal North & Taiga
- Boreal Forest & Shield
- Acadian Forest & Atlantic Coast
- Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Lowlands
- Northeast Atlantic Coast & Piedmont
- Appalachian Highlands
- Central Hardwoods & Interior Plateaus
- Southeastern Piedmont & Coastal Plain
- Gulf Coast & Mississippi Lowlands
- Florida Peninsula
- Prairies & Great Plains
- Western Mountains & Interior Plateaus
- Pacific Maritime
- Mediterranean California
- Deserts & Dry Basins
- Hawaiʻi & the Tropics
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Also active in September
PollinatorMay–OctMonarch butterfly
Danaus plexippus
Orange with heavy black veins and a white-spotted black border. The caterpillar is banded yellow, white and black.
What it does in the garden →Photo: Christine Young · CC BY 4.0
PollinatorMay–SepRuby-throated hummingbird
Archilochus colubris
Tiny, iridescent green above; the male has a black-looking throat that flares ruby in the right light.
What it does in the garden →
BeneficialJul–OctPraying mantis
Mantidae
Long green or brown body, triangular head that swivels, and folded raptorial front legs.
What it does in the garden →