Paper Wasp

This is the inside of a paper-wasp nest
These wasps are very aggravating…. and scary-looking
they fly with long legs hanging down….we refer to them as ‘knuckle-draggers’ 
they remind me of some kind of war-helicopter
they eat meat. And any bit of meat left out will quickly be covered
they scrape wood fibers from trees and buildings,
and consolidate it with their spit into these beautifully geometric patterns.There’s a reason that the honeycomb pattern is built into aircraft
structures. It is very solid and durable yet lightweight.
It is the maximum qualities of both needs intersecting on a grid.

 

 

This particular wasp nest has been abandoned for a few years high in a tree.
It got knocked down during the storm last week.
This is the first I got a good look into it.
And I was a bit surprised to see little crawling creatures inside of it.
Some kind of larvae that must be living on detritus left from the wasps,
or perhaps some material that is growing on the paper.