American Sand Wasp for Washington Square Park

We’ve got a first observation of a native American Sand Wasp for Washington Square Park. The wasp was spotted in the park by Dr. Amy Berkov on July 1, 2025.

American Sand Wasps (Bembix americana) can be 16-20 mm long. They are “mostly black with five pairs of white spots forming interrupted white bands across the abdomen.”American Sand Wasps havegreen eyes (not shown in the photo above) and yellow legs.

Milkweed (Asclepias) is one of the common nectar plants for the American Sand Wasp. Another nectar plant, Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), also grows in the park.

Other Native Insect Sightings in the Park

Top left: Red Admiral, keeshkid, CC BY-NC, iNaturalist
Top right: Witch-hazel Cone Gall Aphid
Bottom left: Brown-belted Bumble Bee, aberkov, CC BY-NC, iNaturalist
Bottom right: Margined Calligrapher, anubesh, CC BY-NC, iNaturalist

Explore the park using the iNaturalist app. Add your wildlife observations to the Washington Square Park Wildlife project. (You can also join the Washington Square Park Plants project.)