A rare parasitic wasp has been found in Cumbria for the first time in history.
Cumbria Wildlife Trust said the icheneumon wasp was found by one of its volunteers, Jange Orgee, in an oak tree at Gosling Sike, Carlisle.
The trust sent the wasp specimen to Natural History Museum London, where it was identified by curator Jaswinder Boparai.
It was also discovered to be the first record of the species being found in Cumbria and one of only a handful found nationally.
Carlisle Natural History Society and Guy Broome also helped present the find at a winter meeting.
The trust said the wasp is a positive sign of the biodiversity that Gosling Sike supports and proof of the value of the site’s Oak trees, which individually uphold over 2,300 species.
The wasp does not sting humans and instead attack larvae or pupae of flies, caterpillars, beetles and sawflies.
