Velvet Ant

[Bman]

Actually a wingless Wasp with a nasty sting. Extremely fast moving too.

[kelly]

I have never heard of that kind of wsap before! Where are they found? nice detail!

[photofun]

Great detail. I've never seen anything like this - neat hair!

[Lakitu]

Excellent shot! Makes it look very intimidating. I used to have hair like that. Can I ask what gear you used to take that shot?

[Bman]

Thanks for the comments. This one was found in South Louisiana but can be found in sandy areas of most states. I think there are also different species of this wasp that can be found worldwide.
For the gear, I used a Nikon D200 and 105 2.8 VR micro lens. The lighting was done with a homemade ringlight. The instructions can be found here. Be sure to click on the photostream to see all the images.

[starrylaurie]

Is that a black stripe I see? How big is it?

I'm in South Arkansas and saw what I think was this thing a couple of days ago outside of our school. My principal and I were talking and neither one of us had seen it before...

[Bman]

Originally Posted by starrylaurie

Is that a black stripe I see? How big is it?

I'm in South Arkansas and saw what I think was this thing a couple of days ago outside of our school. My principal and I were talking and neither one of us had seen it before...

This is what they look like and it was probably about an inch long. Very probable that it was one of the same.

[BOGDOGMAX]

I love the color - nice capture!

[Sela]

You've captured an incredible amount of detail, and what an amazing subject! Well done!