Cicada Killers are big, awesome wasps that you just have to admire– unless, of course, you happen to be a Cicada.  These wasps are harmless to humans, so no worries.

The wasp above was photographed on our lunch hour, just past the Transco Trail in the Lyndhurst Nature Reserve.

The Cicada Killer stings a Cicada and paralyzes it, brings it to a burrow she has dug, and lays an egg on it. After the egg hatches, the larva feeds off the Cicada. Good times.

More on Cicada Killers here.