This photo was taken about an hour later, so I can't say he was "the one" who stung me.

I went outside on the deck to check my plants when I suddenly felt a sharp, red hot, stinging pain on my thigh. In hindsight, I'm guessing that a wasp landed on me as I was walking away from the hibiscus, & I then accidentally brushed it with the swing of my hand while I was walking. I never saw the wasp, but I was quite familiar with the pain of a wasp sting & instantly knew I had been stung through my clothes. By the time I got into the house (a few seconds later), the large, angry welt verified that it was indeed a wasp string.

Although I've had to take an antihistamine and have had ice on the sting's painful lump all day, I probably got away lucky. The wasp stung me through a barricade of light fabric. What a freaky thing to have happen. In the past, I've had to go to the ER for a wasp sting. I'm in quite a bit of pain at the moment from the sting, but things could be worse.

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I later saw red wasps (different species than the lone wasp that I photographed the other day https://pbase.com/britestar/image/174945495). The red wasps were around my marigolds, which I hadn't been near when stung. To prove to my husband (who said there aren't wasps around) that he was wrong, I took the above photo of one. However, I did keep a close eye on the wasp that he wasn't headed my way.

I'm guessing one of these red wasps was what had stung me. But who really knows which species it was? I didn't see the wasp that stung me. I also hadn't seen many wasps around our yard for most of the Summer. It wasn't until October's odd 90-degree weather, that I noticed the first wasp of the year. However, I didn't bother it, and it didn't bother me. Today, (90 degrees again) all kinds of insects seemed to be out today gathering pollen and chomping on flowers & plants. Although there can be different wasp species to occasionally visit our yard, I can't really say for sure which species the one that strung me was. But with my later seeing red wasps, I would guess a red wasp.

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Red wasps are beneficial insects that play an important role in controlling other insect populations. They feed on a variety of insects, including caterpillars, flies, and other wasps. However, if they feel threatened, they will not hesitate to attack. When a red wasp stings, it injects venom through its stinger into the target. The venom contains various proteins, enzymes, and other chemicals that can cause pain, itching, and swelling. I'm mildly allergic to stings, but nothing close to my uncle who had to carry an EpiPen everywhere with him. https://www.healthline.com/health/wasp-sting