Ophion

This fragile, delicate and distinctly orange creature is a parasitic wasp, Ophion sp, in the Ichneumonidae family. They are nocturnal, attracted to lights and common in the late summer and autumn, using caterpillars as hosts. This one was found on my way back from the morning boulangerie run. Only a few weeks after we had taken this one, my father sent me a photo of one its close cousins that he had taken in the outback of Australia.

Susan

The naming of names:
Ophion - a mythical serpent (no, I've got no idea why either...)