Beaked Yucca

We could hear a loud intermittent buzzing sound outside the tent. We fell silent and listened. We were camping in Big Bend National park and were getting ready to head out for another day of exploring. It was early spring and the air was warm. We unzipped the flap and couldn’t believe what we saw! A beautiful metallic blue iridescent colored wasp about 3” long was pulling a huge tarantula spider into its burrow, right in front of our tent! We realized it was a tarantula hawk wasp pulling its young’s first meal into its nursery! We sat and watched as the wasp finally overcame gravity and the giant spider disappeared into the burrow. Later that day we discovered a small rocky slope covered with Yucca rostrata trees which were all over 10 feet tall! They were simply majestic glowing in the afternoon light. Plants sold in quart containers $19.99