They say to ‘Stop and smell the flowers’. I say, you better check the flowers out before you go sticking your nose somewhere it may get bit. Sometimes what looks like a tiny bit of debris stuck to the flower turns out to be a real surprise.

Ambush Bugs usually are not spotted as easily as this one on a wild bergamot flower. For some reason this bug ugly predator wasn’t even trying to blend in with the flower. Still, if I wasn’t purposely looking for these bugs I probably would have never seen it.

Wild Bergamot – Monarda fistulosa

Wild Bergamot is one of those plants where I know I can find Ambush Bugs. I have to inspect plenty of these wildflowers but I’ve never failed to find Ambush Bugs when I’ve gone hunting for them.

Ambush Bug – Phymata (something or other)

Impulsive flower sniffers are likely to meet other creepy crawlers. Getting eye to eye to eye to eye to eye to eye to eye to eye with them can be a startling experience.

Not so itsy bitsy spider

Locally, peak bloom time has passed for the Wild Bergamot. I was surprised to find some good quality flowers, most are pretty ratty looking these days. From the looks of it I’m not the only one hanging on to their charm.

OK, back to the Ambush Bugs. The yellow blush of Goldenrod is now starting to fill the fields and the ambush bugs are taking up new positions. Goldenrod is a favored flower of these bug eyed creatures. Like bergamot, a close inspection of goldenrod will almost always turn up a couple of ambush bugs.*

* results may vary on location. At least here in the center of St. Lawrence County, NY, ambush bugs are plentiful during these two wildflower bloom times.

A different angle reveals the folded wings and the large ‘biceps’.

How nasty are they? A pic from a previous post – Spearmint Surprise – from last year will give you a hint. Anything that takes on a White Faced Wasp is no wimp.