08/28/2026
It’s the end of August, and the pale Indian plantain (Arnoglossum atriplicifolium) is in full bloom in our prairies at Seno Woodland Center. Look closely and you’ll notice this native prairie plant attracts a wide array of insects, like the native bald-faced hornet.
These poor insects are really misunderstood. First, they’re not actually a hornet, they’re an aerial-nesting yellowjacket (Dolichovespula maculata).
If you’ve noticed a basketball-sized nest hanging from a tree limb in late summer, chances are good it belongs to a bald-faced hornet. The name bald-faced relates to “piebald,” a word used to describe animals with two different colors, typically black and white.
Unfortunately, Bald-faced hornets get a bad rap; not only are they a helpful predatory wasp, but they’re also incidental pollinators and pale Indian plantain is specially designed to attract wasps.
As they crawl across the flower clusters drinking nectar, pollen grains stick to their bodies and travel with them to the next plant. Just give them their space, steer clear of their nests (which shouldn’t be hard if they’re high up in a tree), and observe.
