“Despite its diminutive size, the cuckoo wasp Chrysis provancheri grabs your attention. Only two other cuckoo wasps in the New World have this stunning combination of iridescent green and red; most are simply spectacularly green or blue. This specimen was taken as part of a survey of the Yukon’s insect fauna, spearheaded by the Spencer Entomological Museum’s Dr. Geoff Scudder. That survey not only resulted in the publication of the Insects of the Yukon; it also gave the Spencer Entomological Museum one of the finest collections of Yukon insects in the world. The species is named after Léon Provancher, a Quebec priest who was one of the fathers of Canadian entomology.”

Syd Cannings, Species at Risk Biologist at Environment Canada.